


What Once Went Wrong, Part One: Hope is Blue

by Firebird_X



Series: What Once Went Wrong [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dimension Travel, Multi, Multiverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-07-12 11:43:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 105
Words: 171,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15994502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firebird_X/pseuds/Firebird_X
Summary: When Crime Sorciere decides to save their counterparts in another dimension, the history of Fairy Tail takes several turns for the better -- and one or two for the worse...





	1. Prologue, Part One

Earthland-1, Clover Town, X790: Ultear

Meredy pouted at the sight of the untouched manor. "So much for gratitude," she sighed, hands on her hips.

"You know better than that, Meredy," Ultear chuckled, a gentle hand falling on the younger mage's shoulder. "We're all still wanted by the Magic Council."

"We just saved their lives! Again!" Ultear swallowed a laugh. _The poor dear,_  she thought, guiding her teammate into the woods. "Honestly, it's like they can't fight a _cold_ without Fairy Tai–"

"Sh," Ultear urged, and Meredy clamped her hands over her mouth as they rounded one of the larger trees. Jellal stood on the hilltop, watching the Rune Knights cart away the leaders of the aborted assault on the guild meeting center. Arms crossed, cloak blowing in the wind, eyes unwavering, Ultear was once again struck by the extraordinary figure he cut. _Gods. The man is like a force of nature._

After the wagon door slammed shut on the last would-be assassin, Jellal turned and strode into the woods. "We're done here. Who's next on the list?"

"No one," Ultear reported. "The Balam Alliance has gone dark." She went from Meredy's side to his, watching the powerful wizard intently. "We can take a few days to rest."

Jellal turned back, watching the Rune Knights stream into the distance. "I suppose we need it," he admitted, his stiff posture as grudging as his tone. "You and Meredy have been at this non-stop for weeks, protecting Fiore from Tartaros' agents."

"So have you," Ultear pointed out.

The blue-haired wizard shrugged. "I need to work," he insisted.

"Even you need to stop and regain your strength eventually," the time-mage retorted. "Look, if you really must keep busy, I've a project I'm almost ready to start." Jellal glanced at her, one eyebrow rising. "I've found a likely timeline. It shouldn't take much magical energy, but it should be an interesting enough intellectual exercise to keep you occupied."

Ultear tensed as Jellal watched the last Rune Knights disappear over the horizon. He sighed. "Very well," he conceded, shaking his head. "I still think it will cause you needless pain."

That got Meredy's attention. Ultear ignored her for the moment. "If I suffer to create a better world, then so be it. Consider it part of my atonement. That is a position you have no grounds to chide me for," she noted with a wicked grin.

"What pain?" Meredy leaped in, red eyes wide.

Ultear hugged her pink-haired protégé on a rare impulse. "He just means seeing the person I could have been," she explained. "I will be fine, Meredy."

Meredy frowned. "Okay. If you're sure." Ultear patted the younger mage on the head. Predictably, Meredy beamed. _Oh, Meredy,_ Ultear thought, careful to keep her mind sealed against telepathy, _seeing the people you and Jellal should have been without my cruelty – another self cannot compare to that punishment._


	2. Prologue, Part Two

Earthland-1, Clover Town, X790: Jellal

Jellal watched the new Earthland appear in Ultear's orb. _The one punishment I've never been able to truly inflict on myself,_ he mused, watching the parallel world appear in the crystal, _is curbing my curiosity._ He waited, watching Ultear slowly rotate her hands over the floating sphere. Her concentration was absolute, the Time mage's intensity radiating through the ether itself. _I wonder if it will be almost identical at first, or if the parallels will be more like those of Edolas._ Though he'd been in prison during the Mystogan crisis, Meredy had seen his interest when Jellal first heard of it, and somehow dug up most of the details. _The whole thing was fascinating,_ he thought. _Tragic, but fascinating._

That had led, by circuitous discussion and years of irregular research, to their current experiment. _Meredy sat by the fire, chewing distractedly on the largest of the lizards they'd caught. "Y'know, Mom," she'd said between bites, "I was thinking. Could Arc of Time go backwards in a different world? That thing you call an 'alternate timeline.' Maybe you can't change our past, but I bet you could change it for another Ultear."_ Their Ultear had been off and running. _I wasn't much better,_ Jellal admitted, almost smiling.

The almost-smile vanished when Ultear's arms dropped. The distant, fractured images flashing by in the orb had coalesced into three reflections. One was Ur, weeping inconsolably as she clutched a small girl's blouse. Another was Ultear, suspended in some nightmare pit as if caught in a spider web. The third was Gildarts, frozen mid-whistle as he wandered the world without a care. Jellal leaned in a fraction. "Gildarts?"

"This world's past cannot be exactly identical, by definition," Ultear replied, speaking softly and slowly, "but I have not yet confirmed any notable differences, and in this world – Earthland-2, if you will – Gildarts is that Ultear's father." Meredy gasped.

Jellal grimaced. "Based on what I know of our Gildarts," he replied, choosing each world carefully, "it is unlikely that this is the case in our time."

"I thought as much," Ultear said, but her shoulders slumped, and she exhaled as though holding in a long breath. _Relief,_ Jellal realized. _Why?_ The Time wizard shrugged. "Given my tremendous power even as a child, it seemed possible, but – no matter. We have our divergence, then. On Earthland-2, the infamous womanizer spent a night with the northlands' most powerful mage. From that union was born a child of unique might. The Bureau of Magical Development, directed by the Dark Mage we know as Brain, conspired to claim that child for themselves."

"What difference does Daddy Dearest make?" Meredy hissed, glaring at the image of Gildarts. "Tell your mom. Um, _her_ mom. Ur will crush them."

"She already has two boys to care for," Ultear noted, her fond smile returning, "and will be suspicious of strange, disembodied voices. Gildarts will be easily convinced to poke his nose into Magic Council business if an innocent life might be at stake." Her smile grew a wicked edge. "Given how he gushed over Cana on Tenrou, knowing that said life is his daughter's might make him impossible to stop."

Meredy crossed her arms. "My voice isn't that strange," she objected, but otherwise fell silent.

"Gildarts didn't know about his daughters, sweetie," Ultear explained, patting Meredy on the shoulder. "Just watch. We'll see what he's made of soon."

"Is he close enough?" Jellal asked, looking at the image of the legendary wizard. The land around him looked green and lush. "I thought the Bureau was in a desert."

"You've never seen Gildarts in a hurry, have you, Jellal?" Ultear chuckled, grinning at him. "Leave this to Aunt Ultear." Jellal nodded. Ultear's smile vanished, and she returned her attention to the crystal ball, concentration redoubled. _I trust you, Ultear,_ Jellal thought, saddened by the guilt she bore for his sins. _When will you accept that?_


	3. Vol. 1, Ch. 1

**Volume One: Second Chances**

Earthland-2, Worth Woodsea, X774: Gildarts

Gildarts whistled a merry tune as he threaded his way through the legendary Woodsea, working his way back to Magnolia. He accidentally made some bark explode as his shoulder brushed against one of the larger trees. The legendary S-Class mage flinched in brief horror. Memories of Porlyusica's broom whacking away at him loomed large in his thoughts. _Honestly, I walk through one tree...maybe two..._

"Gildarts Clive." A woman's voice echoed through the ether around him. _That voice...rich, deep._ He grinned. _Sexy. At least a D-cup, I bet._

"Wipe that perverted smile off your face!" a younger voice barked. Gildarts' grin vanished. _Aaand she has a daughter. Great._ He sighed. "You've done enough!"

"Hey, I refunded that town most of the reward," Gildarts objected, "and that was more than enough to pay for the damages!" He crossed his arms. "Besides, the Vulcans would have done a lot worse than I did." From wherever the voice came, a man chuckled at that. Gildarts glanced around. _That sounded...sad._

"Tell me, Clive," the older woman continued, sounding annoyed, "do you believe disembodied voices would cross the gap between dimensions just to berate you for your usual mayhem?"

The redhead thought about that for a moment. "Nah, Vulcans don't hit that hard." Someone slapped their forehead. _Probably the daughter,_ he guessed. "You're pretty laid back for gods."

"We are not gods," a man said, his voice guarded. "Merely folk with knowledge that could help your world."

Gildarts laughed. "Seriously? 'Help our world?' It's a good thing you sound so sincere, kid, or this would be the part where I blow you off."

"You have a daughter," the older woman snapped, and Gildarts froze, straightening. _What?_ He looked around desperately, but it was soon clear that the voices really were from somewhere beyond. "Well, two, in fact," she continued, her voice suddenly amused, "but Cana's safe at Fairy Tail."

An icy fist gripped the wizard's heart. _Cana? But – oh, Zen. Cana_ Alberona. _When Cornelia dumped me, she must have been pregnant._ Gildarts looked up. These voices had his undivided attention. _Which means they'd better actually be friendly,_ he decided, his amusement dead and buried. "Who's the other one? Where is she? Tell me. _Now."_

"Her name," the mother replied, "is Ultear Milkovich." The Crash mage gasped. _Ur? Ur had my daughter? But that was just the one time – holy Zen._ After Gildarts mastered himself, the voice continued. "Ultear suffers from an excess of magical energy. Ur took the child to the Bureau of Magical Development hoping they could help her. Instead, they convinced Ur that Ultear had died, and now they experiment on her to transform her into a weapon. If nothing is done, they will succeed in ways that everyone will regret."

Gildarts went still and quiet. The forest itself hushed, animals scurrying away from the aura that rippled around the Crash mage. "I assume," he whispered, "that Ultear isn't in the Bureau headquarters in Crocus."

The ether warped around him, coalescing into an image of a tower shaped like a crescent moon. Covered in spires and held in place by massive cables, it loomed over a desert plain, mountains barely visible in the distance. _Southern Isvan, if I've got those mountains right. Long way off._ Gildarts crouched. "Crash Jump," he chanted.

When he leaped, the ground imploded beneath him, a network of lines cutting into the soil of the crater Gildarts left behind. The mage flew up and eastward, entire nations blurring beneath him. "Told you," the sexy voice said, sounding triumphant. _Was this a con?_ Gildarts wondered. _Nah,_ he decided an instant later. _Wrong vibe. She was probably just right about my magic or something._

The crescent moon building in the distance confirmed his belief. _Huh. I'm not that far off. Redirect, or land and jump again?_ As the tower and the ground approached at incredible speeds, he held out one hand and let loose with a much smaller Crash.

It was more than enough to send him flying shoulder-first into the Bureau. People in white uniforms went flying or ran from the swath of destruction Gildarts' arrival left in his wake. _Weird face drapes they're wearing,_ the Fairy Tail wizard thought. A darker idea left his amusement dead in the rubble. _People who experiment on innocent children,_ he realized, _would be quick to wear masks._ He lashed out and grabbed the nearest white-suited goon by his strange blue cloak. "You've got a little girl here. Where?"

"I – I don't know what you're talking abou–" the lab goon babbled. Gildarts slapped him. "Central shaft! Big circular opening right through the middle of the tower, you can't miss it!" Several armed goons charged at him with blast staves like Rune Knight sidearms, except the crystals were red and the crosses were upside-down. Gildarts frowned at them. Most of the guards ran. A few had the courage or stupidity to fire on him, but a wave of Crash magic sent their blasts through the walls. The guards smashed into some walls as well. _They're not dead, and that's about all the mercy they deserve,_ Gildarts decided, then Crashed his way towards the heart of the tower.

As promised, a massive cylinder had been carved out of the tower's center. Far below was a leering sun/moon device, a web of cables below it. _Huh. Weird._

"Mommy!" a girl wailed from below. "Please! I'm strong enough, I promise! I wanna go home!"

All reason burned away in Gildarts' mind, and he dropped down the shaft. When he reached the creepy metal sun face, he Crashed through it. Below, the girl hung suspended in the web of cable, dangling helplessly in the air. _Zen,_ Gildarts thought. _She looks just like a tiny Ur._ He used the merest fraction of a Crash burst to stop his descent before he could hit the cables and hurt little Ultear, then cast Disassembly to take apart most of the cords imprisoning her. The two remaining were both anchored to the same wall, and Ultear swung towards it.

 _Better,_ Gildarts decided. Ultear gasped, but didn't scream, as she fell towards the shaft wall. He used another Crash to fly just above her, grabbing the cables and scooping the now-loose Ultear in his free arm. He didn't smash through the wall just yet, using his legs to cushion their landing. "You're as brave as your mother," Gildarts said, smiling down at her. "Ultear, isn't it?"

Ultear looked up at him in amazement and nodded. "Does this mean I'm strong enough?"

"They lied to you, sweetie," daughter-voice echoed around them. "Your mother would have never left you here if she'd known. They lied to her, too."

Gildarts stamped the shaft with one foot. The entire side of the tower exploded outward, and he landed in the desert. The Bureau's laboratory billowed smoke behind the mage, gouts of flame occasionally escaping through the holes he'd left in his wake. "You okay, kid?"

Ultear sniffled twice, then threw herself into his chest, crying in great, racking sobs. "I wanna go home. Please, let me go home."

Gildarts held her close, tears brimming in his own eyes. "We're headed there now, Ultear. I promise."


	4. Vol. 1, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Land of Isvan, X774: Ur

Ur laughed as Gray and Lyon fought and played. Gray conjured snowballs from the air, firing them at the lighter-haired boy, while Lyon turned his into hungry snow-mouths that chomped through the air like flocks of piranhas. "Boys!" she blurted, too amused to be exasperated. "It's a snowball fight, not a war!"

Gray and Lyon paused to turn outraged looks on their mentor. "I'm gonna win!" they both shouted, their voices so perfectly in time she couldn't have picked out one from the other. They returned to their fierce duel, and Ur couldn't help but laugh again. _When was the last time I felt like this?_ she wondered.

"Oi, Ur!" an unwelcome voice called down. Gray and Lyon stopped dueling, both staring up in awe. Ur looked up with considerably less admiration, laughter vanishing. "I didn't know you were starting your own guild. Those two look like handfuls." Gildarts smiled down, holding a cloak-hidden bundle of some sort in one arm while giving her a thumbs-up with the other. "Good for you!"

"Gildarts," she hissed. _It's not his fault,_ Ur insisted, forcing herself to regain control. "I'm not interested in your antics right now."

_"You know Gildarts Clive?"_ Gray blurted, jaw agape.

"We fought a monster together," Ur explained. "He seemed impressive, at first."

Gildarts' smiled vanished. "I guess I deserved that."

Ur hadn't felt cold in a very long time. In that moment, ice gripped her heart, and she trembled. "How did you know?"

"I had help," Gildarts explained. "More like 'led by the nose,' really, but Ur...I'm here to make it up to you, I swear."

Ur shook her head, closing her eyes so she wouldn't cry in front of Clive. "There's – nothing to make up. Besides, even you can't undo what's been done."

"Unless the Bureau lied to you," Gildarts replied, voice gentle as the breeze, and Ur looked up in shock. _He has something in his arm,_ she realized, a long-dead hope coming back to life. He pulled his cloak back, and there she was – her beautiful Ultear, becoming her miracle for the second time. "She wants to come home, Ur."

"Ultear?" Ur whispered. Her first steps were tentative, disbelieving. Fear tore through her, that it would be some cruel lie, that her wonder child would vanish in the wind again. "Baby?"

"Mmm...mommy?" Ultear stirred and turned, eyes blinking open. "Mom, are you there?"

_"Ultear!"_ Ice-Make forgotten, Ur scrambled up the snowbank, clawing at the ground like a madwoman. Hair whipped behind her. Fingers turned red and raw from the desperate climb. She didn't care. _"ULTEAR!"_

Ultear's eyes widened as she woke, then reached out for Ur with trembling hands. "Mom!" Those eyes were already red from tears, but she started crying again all the same. "Mom, I wanna come home!"

Ur leaped the rest of the way to her baby, snatching Ultear from Gildarts' arms and holding her with fierce abandon. "You are home, baby. And mommy's not going to let anyone take you away ever again."


	5. Vol. 1, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, Land of Isvan, X774: Ultear

Ultear ate carefully, deliberately, enjoying every mouthful of fish as though it were a Festival present. "They fed you?" Ur asked, stroking her hair. Ultear put down her fork, just enjoying the feel of her mother's hand. "You don't look too thin."

"They gave me this white goo," she explained, eyes closing. The cruel lightning crackled in her memory, but vanished as Mom's fingers ran through Ultear's too-short hair again. "They said it would make me strong enough to go home. It was enough, but it didn't taste like _anything."_

The dark-haired boy snorted in the doorway. Ultear trembled in her seat, eyes flying open, but the boy just looked away. "Demons aren't the only monsters in the world."

"No," Ur agreed quietly. "They're not."

Ultear looked at the boy, forcing her faded memories of her mom teaching her to be polite to resurface. She dropped down from the chair, smoothed her skirt _(Zen, it feels good to wear my own clothes again, even if they're kinda small,_ she thought), and walked over to her mom's apprentice. "Hi. I'm Ultear." She bowed. "What's your name?"

"Gray Fullbuster," he replied, voice even and distant, "and we know who you are."

"Gray!" Ur demanded, and the boy leaped back, straightening. "Is that any way to talk to your sister?"

Ultear's eyes went wide. _They're my brothers? I have brothers?_ Gray, however, folded his arms and glared at Mom. "She's not my sister, and you're _not_ my mother!" Then, to the surprise of both Milkovich women, he fled from the room.

"Oh," Ultear whispered. "Brothers would have been nice."

Mom rushed over and wrapped Ultear in a hug that was more home than the house around them. Ultear hugged her back. "He's your adopted brother," Ur explained. "He misses his birth mom, and sometimes he gets upset when I treat him like my son."

"Mommy? What happened to Gray's old parents?" Ultear asked, squirming in Ur's arms until she could see her mom's eyes.

Mom's eyes got squinty, and she looked sad again. "A monster attacked his home town. Gray was the only survivor. I think I helped, but he still hurts, sweetie."

Ultear bit her lip. "A demon?" she asked.

Ur smiled again, but even that seemed sad as she rubbed Ultear's head. "My clever girl." Then the sound of ice shattering echoed from outside, and Mom let Ultear go, standing and holding the bridge of her nose. "Those two...Ultear, look after Gray for a minute, all right? I need to stop your father and Lyon from destroying the house." Ultear nodded, and Ur stomped outside, making a huge ice guard dog to watch the door on her way out. "Gildarts, you wrecking ball, if you destroy my house I will wring every Jewel you have out of you!"

While Daddy babbled desperate apologies and Lyon chuckled, Ultear searched the house for Gray. She found him in the back of his room, digging through his dresser. _But why? His clothes are still clean –_ Gray stuffed the clothes into a bag as big as Ultear and went back for more. "No!" Ultear gasped.

Gray turned, looking surprised for a moment. Then his face went hard again, and he looked away. "Go _'way,"_ he demanded.

"I won't!" Ultear replied, running to her brother and throwing the biggest hug she could around him. Gray gasped, freezing in place. "Please don't go!"

"I'm not your brother," he said, voice rasping and broken.

"You are," Ultear insisted, shaking her head and tightening her grip. "I just got home. Don't take it away, please," she begged, eyes squeezing shut.

Tears started dropping on her arms. "I have to stop Deliora," he whispered. "He killed my parents. My friends. Everyone."

"I'm sorry," Ultear whispered back, "but they're gone. We're here now."

_"What if Deliora comes here?"_ Gray cried, and Ultear's eyes flew open again. "I can't let him kill anyone else! I can stop him, I know I can!"

"Mmm," Gildarts grunted from the doorway. Ultear spun, and there was her father, regarding Gray in that weird "I-won't-let-you-see-my-feelings" way boys do when they don't want to show they care. _That's it. That's what Gray looks like all the time,_ Ultear realized. "I'm sorry, kid, but you're not ready."

"I will be," Gray shot back, arms folded. His shirt had disappeared, a lot like Mom's would when she was distracted. "When I find Deliora, I know what spell to use. Besides, Ur has Ultear back. She doesn't need me any mo–"

_Slap._

Ultear stared, eyes bulging, her mother having appeared in front of Gray as if by magic. _"You are not a replacement!"_ she barked, trembling. Gray's eyes were as wide as Ultear's, locked on to Ur in disbelief. "How many times do I have to tell you? I will not let you throw your life away, not if I have to kill Deliora myself!"

"You don't fight like that!" Gray blurted, arms drooping and mouth trembling. "He'll kill you too!"

"I would have given my life to save Ultear," Ur insisted, hands forming fists. "Do you think I'd do any less for you?" _Oh, no!_ Ultear whimpered, terror welling up inside her.

Gray's head whipped from Ur to Ultear and back. "That's not fair!" Gray glared up at Mom, tears forming in his eyes.

"None of this is fair," Ur agreed.

Gildarts cleared his throat, and all three turned their attentions to him. "You're not going to stop him, Ur. One day, he's going to go after Deliora – but," he added quickly when Mom's eyes narrowed almost closed and she bared her teeth, "you can slow him down. There's a man in that boy already, one who won't let injustice go unchallenged, but he needs to live long enough for that man to get out."

"What about all the other moms and dads Deliora's going to kill?" Gray demanded, literally stamping his foot. Ultear clamped her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing – or screaming. _This is crazy,_ she thought. "Who's going to stop that, huh?"

Daddy only smiled. "I wouldn't have butt in if I didn't have an idea. You're kind of my stepson now, so I can go on free missions for you. Until you're ready, I'll knock Deliora around when he gets too close to people. In the meantime, all of you need training and a home where the Bureau can't get you. I know just the place."

"Fairy Tail," Ur breathed. Gildarts nodded. Mom smiled at Dad, but it was a funny smile, like she was only mostly happy. "Looks like you've sold me on your gang of lunatics after all."

"Don't worry. They're the best gang of lunatics anyone could ask for." His grin was like the sun, the room becoming bright and warm.

"You'll teach me," Gray cut in, and he had a very serious look on his face. "To kill Deliora."

"Kid, if I could kill the thing, I'd just bring you his head and be done with it," Gildarts explained. Gray folded his arms. "That's what a guild is for. Everyone helps everyone else. It's a family, but bigger. Someone will help you learn what you need to know."

"That sounds stupid," Lyon whined, and Ultear sighed. "How do you get stronger that way?"

Gildarts turned and winked at him. "You'll see," he promised.

"Don't encourage him, you menace," Ur objected. Ultear watched as the two argued over Lyon's need for power. Gray snorted, then turned and started putting his clothes back in the dresser. Ultear smiled, holding back the tears. _No. No more crying. The monsters wanted me because I'm supposed to be strong._ She watched Gray, noticing him glance at her occasionally as he cleaned up his stuff. _Now, I have a family to be strong for. From now on, I'm going to train too. No one's going to get hurt losing me, or saving me, ever again. Next time, I'm going to be strong enough to save them._


	6. Vol. 1, Ch. 4

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X774: Gray

Gray's jaw hung slack. Ur's eye twitched as she stood over Master Dreyar, fist clenched over his teeny body. The Master was on the ground, a lump on his head, eyes swirling. Gildarts Clive, the Ace of Ishgar's strongest guild, just laughed, his tiny daughter Cana still clinging to his pant leg. "I warned you, Mak." Another wizard with dark hair and cruel eyes laughed as well, though to Gray it sounded mocking.

"You – you just hit the guild master..." Gray muttered, staring in disbelief.

Ur snorted. "I don't care if he's the King of Fiore," she snapped. "No one gets fresh with me without my say-so."

Master Dreyar laughed, pointing at the ceiling. "You were right, Gildarts! She's perfect!" The dark-haired wizard stopped laughing and glared at the old man. "Oh, don't look so sour, Ivan."

Gildarts' smile vanished. "I saw her first," he objected. A mage nearly as old as Master Dreyar chuckled at that.

"You can both stop right there," Ur snapped. "No one's going to behave that way in front of my kids, if they know what's good for them." Ultear giggled.

_It's good she can laugh,_ Gray thought, _but Master Ur was right – this place is crazy!_ Indeed, Ur's admittedly-justified assault on the Master wasn't even the most violent thing going on in the guild. A mage named Wakaba was taking a Smoke Magic swing at a fire wizard he called Macao, who responded with a burst of purple flame. _Maybe Lyon had the right idea after all, ditching us like that._ Ultear turned to look at him with enormous, trembling eyes, as if she'd known what he was thinking. _Dang it. I'm such a sucker._

"So," Makarov continued, standing as if he hadn't just been pummeled by a master wizard, "I understand we have two prodigies in our midst – a force wizard and a demon hunter."

Gray shook his head, grimacing. "I don't know how yet," he sighed. "Master Gildarts said Fairy Tail could teach me."

"And I don't really know _any_ magic," Ultear admitted, twiddling her fingers and pressing her lips together. "Everyone says I'm strong, but no one knows what I can do."

"Don't worry, my dear," Makarov laughed, patting her gently. "We'll have you casting spells and punching men into the floor before you know it." Ultear's eyes went wide, but Master Ur chuckled and put her hand on Ultear's head again. "As for you, young Fullbuster," the guild master continued, turning to regard Gray, "Devil Slayer magic is a lost art. It will take considerable work to find and master magic of that sort."

"I can," Gray insisted, meeting Makarov's gaze. "I will!"

Makarov laughed again, slapping Gray on the shoulder. "That's the spirit! Welcome to Fairy Tail, my boy!" Even when Makarov turned back to Ultear, determined to help Ur's daughter find "her" magic, Gray felt strange. There was something warm inside him, something he hadn't quite felt even in Ur's house. _It feels like...home,_ Gray decided. _What a guild is for._

It seemed like the sort of place demons would want to destroy. _I guess I'd better get started, then,_ Gray decided, heading for the one person in the guild with a book. She was a tiny, blue-haired girl, writing words in mid-air as she read. _Be polite,_ he reminded himself, rubbing his head where Ur had slapped him a few minutes before. "Excuse me," he said, and the blue-haired girl looked up, blinking at him. "Master Dreyar says I'm in Fairy Tail now, so I should be able to read your books, right?"

The girl gasped. "You want to see the library?"

Gray blinked back. "Well, yes – whoa!" The girl was much stronger than she looked, if her ability to tow him through the guild was any indication.

"Finally! Someone else who reads!" She wove through the adults with practiced ease, even making sure they ducked when Wakaba went flying overhead. A blond kid with a lightning bolt scar smiled the friendliest smile Gray had ever seen as they went past. _I haven't seen a smile like that since Mom died,_ Gray realized. "I'm Levy McGarden, I'm new here too. They have an incredible library here with all sorts of books, but no one except Miss Yomiko uses it. Um, and me."

"Gray Fullbuster," he replied. "I'm looking for something specific. Devil Slayer Magic. The Master says it's lost."

Levy nodded. "That's all right, Gray. It's better than nothing, which is what most of the rest of them read, except the job board _which doesn't count, Nab."_ She sighed at an older boy who flinched from near the mission posters. "I don't know if we have a book that will teach you how to be a Devil Slayer, but there are at least three that detail what's known about lost magic."

"Wait, just like that?" Gray blurted as they descended a staircase he hadn't noticed before.

"Of course!" Levy said, stopping, turning, and smiling at him. It was friendly, kind, and not sad at all. _Zen, does everyone smile here?_ Gray wondered. "You're a Fairy Tail wizard, right?"

After a moment, Gray nodded solemnly. "Yes. I'm a Fairy Tail wizard."


	7. Vol. 1, Ch. 5

Earthland-1, Clover Town, X790: Meredy

The ward came down like an iron gate, and the crystal went white. "What the–?!" Meredy blurted. _How? Why?_ she wondered.

Ultear frowned. "Grimoire Heart. Some of that was their Master Hades. Some of it was new."

Jellal raised an eyebrow at the Time mage. "New? I don't understand."

"He – that Hades – has recruited, or will recruit, a talented mage in my place," Ultear explained. "They've worked out our interference, and they're trying to block us." Jellal frowned.

"Wait, 'or _will_ recruit?' How does that work?" Meredy asked, glaring at the crystal ball. _Wow. I never really got how scary we were back when we were the bad guys._

"If time could not flow both ways," Ultear replied, jaw tight and teeth bared, "my magic would be impossible. This new mage doesn't wield the Arc of Time, but Hades – Precht – was always going to undo causality. The Grand Magic World wasn't going to have a past or a future, just an eternal moment that could change for any wizard, like a fantasy."

Jellal rumbled some wordless objection, but said nothing. _I know. It was always crazy. But we were crazy too, so we couldn't see it._ Meredy frowned. "We can break through, right? After what we've done, we can't stop now," she insisted.

Ultear nodded. "There are verges, nexus moments that we are drawn to by connection. If I can get ahead of Jellal's enough, we should be able to prevent the tragedies in the Tower." She concentrated, magic gathering in tremendous force around her. Jellal joined in with rune formulas that Meredy couldn't even follow. Unable to think of anything else, Meredy linked to her adopted mother and shared all the magic she could summon. Guilt and shame radiated from Ultear, but her sheer determination shone like a star, driving away the darkness that threatened to drown her in despair. _I love you, Mom,_ Meredy thought, and the despair fled from Ultear's emotions. _Let's do this._


	8. Vol. 2, Ch. 1

**Volume Two: Arc of Liberation**

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X776: Ultear

"The Crash Sisters triumph again!" Cana exclaimed, bursting through the guild hall doors.

"That's my girls!" Gildarts cried back, the mighty wizard becoming a ball of mush at the sight of his returning daughters.

"We're not calling ourselves that!" Ultear retorted, stopping just inside the guild. She folded her arms and glared at her sister as the implacable Card Mage dropped herself in front of the Master. "Some of us try not to destroy the towns that hire us, you know!"

"Yeah, yeah," Cana laughed, showing off the stack of Jewels they'd earned to Makarov. _That girl is going to drive me to drink,_ Ultear thought, feeling grumpy. Again. "That's what your Arc of Space is for, anyway."

"I need Time magic to fix things, not just Arc of Space," Ultear pointed out. "That itches."

"You could always team up with Gray," Mom called from where Gray and Levy were going over yet another massive tome.

Ultear teleported to Cana's side, her Arc of Space rescuing her from her crazy brother. "Sisters forever!" she declared, wrapping one arm around Cana's shoulders while the other punched the air. "We're unbeatable together!"

"I feel so appreciated," Cana drawled, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Hello?" A voice Ultear hadn't heard in nearly two years – _Daughter Voice,_ she called it – echoed through the guild hall. "Is this thing on?" It was the younger woman from the Three Voices, the ones who'd saved her.

"Give me that," the older woman – Lady Voice – sighed. "Greetings, Fairy Tail. We apologize for not contacting you sooner, but dark mages have found ways to interfere with our efforts to guide you."

"Deliora!" Gray blurted, leaping to his feet. "Where is he?" Ultear very carefully didn't turn a terrified look towards him. _You don't know you don't know you don't know_ please _say you don't know!_

"Deliora is contained for the time being," Lady Voice replied, and Ultear relaxed. Cana patted her back and downed an ice cream soda. "We have contacted you to save one of your members, and many children who are with him in captivity."

Ultear's relief vanished, and she trembled where she stood. "What?" she whispered.

"They know him only as 'Uncle Rob,' but he is one of your oldest wizards," Male Voice explained. Master Makarov frowned and stood, arms folded. Mom looked away, one fist trembling at her side. "With him are six children. They might become dear friends, or terrible enemies."

"Why would they do that?" Gray asked, staring up.

"Enough pain messes with your head," Ultear whispered, hugging herself. Long-buried memories tore back to the surface. Cana gave her a real, and fierce, hug. "When you can't stop it, the hurt gets into everything."

"That is a concern," Lady Voice admitted. "Events are coming to a head, but if you hurry, you can save them all."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Gray barked. "Ice-Make: Cold Excalibur!" The boy staggered beneath the sword's weight, but managed to wield it. "Let's go!"

"Easy there, kid," Laxus called over, shaking his head. "From the sound of it, this is no job for little boys."

"Screw that!" Gray snarled, hefting Cold Excalibur overhead. "They're taking kids! Besides, we're Fairy Tail wizards! The guild mark doesn't care how old we are!"

"Mmm," Makarov sighed. "Gray. Ultear. I know nothing can stop you from going–"

"Me either!" Cana roared, and Ultear loved her all over again. "There's no way you're letting my sister near child-grabbing jerks without me to watch her back!" Levy nodded, and within moments the whole guild was roaring with the demand to join in. Tears welled in Ultear's eyes. _You...guys..._

"ENOUGH!" Makarov shouted, and the din receded to a rumble. "We're going to need some people to stay behind and protect our home. Dark wizards like these could strike at Magnolia to repay our efforts. And, our younger wizards will restrict themselves to support efforts unless lives are at immediate risk." Gray pouted while Mom exhaled in relief. "However!" He pointed at the sky. "No one treats our family like that – or _any_ children! – without facing the wrath of... _Fairy Tail!"_

"YEAH!" the guild roared as one, their fingers upraised with his.

Daughter Voice sniffled. Lady Voice cleared her throat. "Levy McGarden. We will need a map." Ultear began a transportation ritual even as the guild's resident sage rushed to the library. She knew all too well that moving so many people would take a lot of effort, and they couldn't use an obvious vessel like Blue Pegasus' Christina without endangering the captives. _We need to have surprise on our side. Every moment they know we're there is a moment they might be hurting those kids. We've got to save them._ Ultear's ritual paused as trembling fists formed at her own sides, both identical to the one her mother had made. _We've got to!_


	9. Vol. 2, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Tower of Heaven, X776: Jellal

Jellal Fernandes couldn't scream any more. His throat hurt enough to notice, even amidst the agony. The magic tore into him without mercy. It reached past his flesh, digging into his mind, ravaging his spirit, scouring his very soul.

Somehow, he didn't regret any of it. _Erza's okay,_ he told himself, when the ripping subsided. _It’s all that matters. I was never going to escape anyway, but Erza, she's strong. She'll make it, and save the others. Millianna, Shou, Wally, Simon, Uncle Rob...I'm so sorry. I tried, but I couldn't –_

Agony returned. Thought vanished. Try as he might, Jellal couldn't help hating the Cult. This time, the tearing didn't go away, but at least it receded to become mere suffering. _You're evil,_ he snarled, trembling against the post they'd tied him to. _You and your Zeref. I wish you'd just disappear. All of you._

"Yes, yes, _yes!_ Finally!" The voice was strange, almost childish, but without pity or shame. "You are just too much, you know that?" Dark energies formed before the helpless boy, and he stared up in terror as it formed a monster, one formed of shadow and runes the color of old blood. "We hurt your friends, beat up old men, take your innocent girlfriend and torture her, and then we torture you – for half a day, did you know that? – and only now do you really start to hate us. What are you made of, anyway, rainbows and bunnies?"

If there was any food left in Jellal's stomach, he would have thrown up. _Oh, gods, they wanted me to hate them! I've failed,_ he despaired, falling to his knees. _Erza, I failed you._ Tears streamed down his face, the unbreakable Jellal Fernandes shattering to dust.

Then it got worse. The awful shadow demon became a thousand toxic streams, pouring onto Jellal, forcing its way into his eye. It pooled in the burning hatred they'd lit inside him, coiling and poisoning and eating away at who he was. _No. No! I can't! I won't!_ He thought of his friends. He thought of Uncle Rob, who'd kept him sane when he thought he would break. He thought of Erza, who never lost hope when hope seemed as distant as the most forgotten lost magic.

_Magic..._ That's when the formulas started to form in his mind. The signs of the zodiac, joining the one memory Jellal had of his father, a huge shadowy outline pointing out constellations to him. The movements of the stars, along with a vague memory of his mother telling him about Polaris, that always guided sailors home. Knowledge, that every one of them was a distant sun, some unimaginably greater than the one shedding life on Earthland. Understanding, of the power magic could draw down from them. _As above, so below,_ echoed in his heart. The stars were like the soul. The soul shone like a star. The infinite was in every person. Every person was unique in all of forever.

The evil soaked into him. _Yes, yes, yes, yes! Join us. Serve us. Lead us! You will be the greatest wizard in all the world, more powerful than Zeref himself!_ Jellal's horror redoubled. The words hadn't come from outside – they'd been like his own thoughts. _I will make you into a dragon of stars, a god spreading your wings to cast the world in our shadow!_

"No. I won't. You can't make me!" Speaking felt like jagged glass in his throat, but he defied the shadow anyway. "I am Jellal, and my magic is for my family!"

"You have no family," the darkness mocked, forming a head just so it could shake "no" at him. "You have cowards who hide behind you and an old man who pours all his burdens on you. They're not worth your smallest toenail. Join me, and take revenge – on those brats, on the failures who ruined this experiment, on the world that hurt and betrayed us! Avenge us!"

Jellal tried to shout back, but his throat seized up in agony. _Never! Helping them wasn't about their fear! Helping my friends saved me more than it ever saved them!_

The door, already damaged from where Jellal had burst in to rescue Erza, crumpled like stone beneath a pickaxe. Hope came in through the ruins, wearing scavenged armor, carrying a huge sword, and trailing scarlet hair. _Erza! She has magic! She did it!_ She looked at the ravaged boy, her remaining eye widening in horror. "Jellal! Hang on, I'm here!"

The two overseers chose that moment to show up, rushing in and closing the opposite, undamaged door behind them. Three of the Tower dogs guarded them. "We're ruined!" the tall one lamented. "Riots inside, those damned wizards outside – we've lost!"

"No," the big one insisted. "We still have the boy – what are _you_ doing here?" he demanded when he saw Erza. "Sic her!" he ordered, pointing at the newly-awakened mage. All three hounds charged. Jellal struggled again, but the manacles proved as inescapable as ever.

Erza howled with fury and threw her sword at the monsters. A dozen more formed around it as it flew, the barrage skewering the creatures. They twitched and whined, then were still. Jellal gaped in spite of himself. _Wow._

"Zen!" the tall one swore, pointing a ring at Erza. He fired a blast at her, but Erza summoned a shield, blocking the spell. The big one snarled and pointed his staff, flames roaring around the shield. Erza flared with light, and more armor protected her from the assault. Then the armor began to glow with the heat.

_No!_ Jellal struggled again, this time grasping for the divine power inside him, but his magic was still seething in that awful pool of Zeref-stuff, and his body was a savaged wreck. _I can't reach it! ERZA!_

Instead of boiling, though, Erza shot forward, slamming into the big cultist. Her searing-hot armor scalded his belly, and the vile man screamed, running in circles.

"Stupid brat!" the tall one snarled. He turned his ring on Erza again, but she brought the shield up once more, then overcame his blast magic and flew to slam the shield right in his face. The tall man crumpled, breathing but not moving.

While scalded-fat-guy ran around in pain, Erza rushed to Jellal's side, summoning a smaller knife to cut him free. "It's okay, Jellal. We're all fighting back – everyone, together, and it's working just like you said. We're going to be free again!"

"'Again'?" Jellal whispered. He blinked. _My throat doesn't hurt now? Why not?_ He shook his head, barely able to hold it up. "Freedom...I don't remember it any more."

Erza put his arm over her shoulders and all but carried him. "You will. You've got to! Come on, Jellal, please, we're so close!" Tears streamed from her single eye. Jellal found the strength to stumble alongside her. _Please don't cry, Erza. You'll be okay without me if you have to be. You've always been the strongest of us._

The childish shadow-demon sighed and slithered out of him, and Jellal convulsed, as much from what it left behind as what it tore from him. Erza's eye flickered from Jellal to the monster, then clutched him closer. Her armor was no longer scalding, just comfortably warm. "Oh, no you don't, you blood-haired brat," the thing said, flowing into the two overseers. The big one screamed once while the tall one thrashed. "You were useless trash, but little boy blue has the brains to be useful. He's mine!"

"Never!" Erza roared, and a sword bigger than she was formed in her hand. "You just want Jellal because he beat you. _You can't have him!"_

The demon-overseers laughed in the same childish voice. "It's cute and all that you want to protect your boyfriend, but you're a hammer – and I'm a genius." The staff magic and the ring magic combined, forming more shadow demons around them. _Surrounded! Oh, no!_ Jellal trembled. "See?"

Erza gently laid Jellal on the ground, then stood up, forming a circle of swords around them. "You can make lots of stuff? So can I!" She started the ring of blades spinning, slowly at first, but quickly increasing in speed. "Everyone saved me, even when I was useless. Now I'm strong enough to protect them, and I won't ever be useless again!"

"Nope – because you'll be dead!" The demon child laughed while their enemies charged. The spinning sword-wheel brought the attack to a halt at first, but then they started pressing through. It was slow going, the blades carving through the monsters' bodies, but they were advancing. "Die! Yes! Yes!"

"No," Jellal whispered. _Magic. My throat healed by magic._ The remnants of the awful Zeref pool still hid his wizardry, but somehow he'd used it anyway. _Erza's protecting me. If I don't do something, she'll die protecting me._ Inside himself, he could feel more than see a deep blue sky glittering with golden stars, calling to him from beyond the demon stuff. _I'm already tainted. Everyone needs me._ Erza _needs me._

The spirit-Jellal inside himself dove into the poison. It tore at the boy as he pressed through, but the torture had been far worse. _This is – it's almost easy. I can do it. I can reach it._ With all his heart, he believed in magic – and, for this first time in years, in himself.

**Music Cue: Erza Advent**

Golden fire-light erupted around Jellal's body. For just an instant, the sapphire-haired child felt a pure, incandescent joy unlike anything he'd ever known, and he realized how he'd _felt_ a sky full of stars: magic began as a sense. Jellal could feel magic – through him, around him, inside him. It was as though he'd been blind his whole life until that single, ineffable moment.

The power didn't heal everything, but it was enough. "Meteor," he chanted. With that, he became a churning engine of speed and power, sheathed in protective light. Racing below Erza's circle of swords opposite to the direction they spun, he hammered at the monsters' legs. Unable to advance, they wailed, reaching for Erza above the sorcerous buzzsaw she'd created. Erza held up an arm, and yet another set of blades formed. This one tore at their chests and shoulders, and within seconds the whole lot collapsed.

"Zeref take you!" the demon child cursed. "If you want something done right!" Jellal screamed as the rest of the dark magic that had poured into him forced its way back out. He collapsed in a tumbling heap, Erza leaping to defend him as the demon-spell vomited itself from his mouth in a surge. It joined the other swirling runes and shadows in a corner, taking strangely bloodless bits of overseer with them. There, they formed a strange dragon-person hybrid. The monster roared at the heavens. "Fine, I'll do it myself!" it – she, Jellal realized – snarled.

Erza gasped and formed more swords, spears, and axes, adding three shields to protect them. Jellal raised a hand, calling on more star magic, but this time the corruption rose up with it. He collapsed against Erza, his stomach trying to empty in spite of having nothing to lose. It felt leaden, burning yet cold, evil and familiar, twisted but still him. "She won," he whispered.

"No!" Erza insisted, hauling him backwards towards the door the overseers had come through, and away from the dragon-demon. "We can make it!"

"I'm already bad, Erza," he said, slumping. Erza responded by holding on even more tightly. "It's inside me. The demon stuff. It's all through me, in my magic, in my heart. I'm sorry. You've got to leave me."

"You should be sorry, telling me that!" Erza wailed, more tears brimming in her eye. "She took it all out, can't you see? The only bad thing you're doing is telling me to go on without you!"

The dragon-woman crossed her arms. "Will you just die, you saccharine scarlet pimple!" The metal-and-rune maw breathed in, bloody shadows swirling in a sphere just below her snout.

Five figures rushed past them, racing in with a suddenness that left Jellal flatfooted. The two tallest and the shortest charged the dragon-woman, while the last two stopped just in front of him and Erza. The two kids were about Jellal's age, perhaps a little older, one a black-haired boy with a severe face, the other a girl with purple hair and a grim expression. As one, they chanted, "Ice-Make: Rampart!" Instantly, a lattice-reinforced wall of ice appeared between the four youngsters and the charging adults.

Purple-hair immediately turned to the ragged ex-slaves. "Are you all right?" she asked, then stared with wide eyes. "Zen, that is the _stupidest_  thing I've ever said. Gray?"

"Ice-Make: Cold Excalibur," he chanted, and a sword bigger than any of Erza's formed in his hands. "I'll watch your back, Ultear." Gray braced himself as, on the other side of the barrier, the three mages battled the dragon-woman. The tallest of them cast a spell, and several walls behind his target exploded away, revealing the night sky.

Ultear looked the pair over as another girl-wizard appeared from a storm of cards. "Cana, back up Gray." Cana glanced at Ultear, then at Gray. The two girls nodded to each other, and after a moment's pause, the newcomer joined the ice wizard at the rampart. Ultear took a quick breath. "Okay. Red, I'm sure you've noticed the missing eye, but it's nothing Porlyusica can't fix."

Erza gaped. "Really?"

Ultear smiled and put a hand on Erza's shoulder. "Really really." Then she looked at Jellal and frowned. "I"m sorry, Blue, but you've got it worse." Erza dropped her remaining sword, wrapping both arms around Jellal in an inescapable grip. "Easy there, Red, I'm not saying it's hopeless. Fairy Tail doesn't believe in hopeless."

"You're from – Fairy Tail," Jellal gasped. "Uncle Rob. He's still downstairs. Forget me. Take Erza and go, you still might be able to..." he trailed off at Erza's sudden sniffles, more tears streaming from her eye.

"He's gone. Rob...died, saving me, finding my magic." Erza looked away. Her grip on Jellal shifted, and he realized she was leaning on him. "I wasn't strong enough." Somewhere in the distance, a man gasped. _One of the adults fighting the monster?_ Jellal's jaw tightened, unable to let a puzzle go even in his current state. _No, wrong direction. What's going on?_

"Erza, right?" Ultear asked. That got their attention, and Erza nodded to the older girl, eyes wide. "Trust me, Erza, I know how awful it is to not be able to help your family, but right now Blue here needs you to keep going. Okay?" Erza sniffled, blinked the tears away and nodded.

"Good girl." Ultear draped one arm over their collective shoulders, then summoned a sphere of ice over her free hand. Images flashed by until the Tower's base appeared in it, a small army of wizards having cleared a beachhead on the side facing Fiore. "Hold still, now. Let's get you out of here. Arc of Space: Liberation!" Gray blurted in wordless alarm, and then the three of them vanished.


	10. Vol. 2, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, Magic Council Headquarters, X776: Erza

"Master Dreyar, you can't just keep rampaging across the continent like this!" Crawford Seam, the Chairman of the Magic Council, shook his head at Fairy Tail's guild master. Erza frowned at him. _There's something not right about that man. He's more upset about Fairy Tail than the Cult, he hasn't even noticed us, and he smells like lemon. Lemon! Nothing human should smell like lemon._

Sitting to Erza's right, Jellal looked silently at the floor. _He hasn't smiled in three weeks. Not since they saved us,_ Erza worried. Shou was to her left, hands clenched into fists as he trembled. Next to him was Wally, who still clutched the lacrima recording they'd found during their escape. On the other side of Jellal was Millianna, who was holding Jellal's arm as though he would disappear if she let go, and Simon, who glared at the Council over crossed arms.

"I beg your pardon?" Makarov replied. His voice was soft, almost gentle. Gildarts looked at the older man, who was no taller than Erza herself, in alarm. "Are you reprimanding Fairy Tail for attempting to rescue one of our comrades from a Dark Guild, and liberating the children he'd come to care for?" Erza glanced from Gildarts back to the master. _Is something wrong? He's being entirely polite and soft-spoken. Isn't that the appropriate thing to do here?_

"You should have come to _us."_ Michello, the councillor who looked like he could be Millianna's evil uncle, glared at Makarov. "We mete out justice through the Rune Knights. It is not a duty to be usurped by guilds who happen to be personally offended."

"Mak..." Gildarts hissed, reaching a hand out toward Makarov's shoulder.

Makarov's grip on his staff tightened, and the wood shattered. "Three hundred and seventeen!" the master snapped. Gildarts pulled his hand back. Most of the Councillors gaped. _Oh. The Master's angry,_ Erza realized. She nodded to herself. _Well, he should be._

The cat-councillor was unimpressed. "Is that the number of apologies you've written for Fairy Tail's actions?" Michello drawled.

"No! It is the number of children _you_ abandoned to slavery, agony, and despair in that tower!" Makarov pointed at the Council, who gasped and murmured in response. "Of course we contacted the Rune Knights. We told them about the horrors being perpetrated in that so-called 'Tower of Heaven.' Would you care to hear their response?"

"We can read, Dreyar," a tall, bearded councilor retorted. He only had one eye, and Erza blinked. _Why doesn’t he have a new one?_ she wondered. "It is all in the report. Rest assured that your deposition, along with the evidence of collusion you found in the tower, will result in severe punishments for the criminals responsible. If a councilor was any part of this, that wizard will spend a lifetime repenting in Black Vox. That doesn't justify your vigilante actions."

Again, Makarov pointed, but not at the Council. Instead, Erza found his finger directed straight at her. "They do, Org," he said. "Those children have showed more kindness, bravery, and intelligence than any adult in this room. I am in awe of them, as you should be. If you would prefer a world where they are condemned to a lifetime in that nightmare just to soothe your fears of Fairy Tail, then I will take your reprimand as a badge of honor, because I would want nothing more to do with this body!" Erza's face burned, and she mirrored Jellal's toe-staring expression.

"Hear hear!" Ur cried, leaping to her feet, fist raised. Ultear stared at her mother, eyes bulging.

Yajima cleared his throat, and the room fell silent. "Please, everyone, let's try to remain calm. These horrible events have clearly set everyone on edge. Perhaps there are legal issues with Fairy Tail's actions, but their heroism is also to be commended. It should be a relatively simple matter to allow one to cancel out the other."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple at all, Master Yajima," Seam replied, shrugging. "Ishgar relies on the Magic Council to maintain order among the wizard guilds. As noble as Fairy Tail's rescue may be, this is a clear, straightforward example of a guild taking the law into its own hands."

"Untrue," Enno said, holding up a large book. A short blue-haired girl nodded from the dancer’s side.

"Loopholes," the Chairman sighed, holding the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. "However positive the results, my dear, we cannot in good conscience ignore this encroachment on the Council's authority."

_"Conscience?"_ Ur blurted, her entire body shaking. "You dare use that word when you have no grasp of its meaning!" Erza's eyes, new and old, widened in shock at the uproar that ensued. Every member of the council except Chairman Seam began speaking at once, some shouting, others snapping in anger. In moments, the entire room was in an uproar.

"Jellal-kun!" Millianna gasped, and Erza turned to find her dearest friend racing to the podium. _That's Jellal for you,_ she thought, smiling in relief, _always trying to stop our fights._ She stood, preparing to console him when the adults ignored him.

"Please, stop!" he cried, throwing up his hands. The five remaining children gaped in shock, jaws dropping and eyes going round, when the entire room went silent. _Wow. I didn't think even Jellal could do that._ Erza watched as he bowed deeply. "I apologize for the fuss we've cause. I will take full responsibility."

The entire room reacted with the same word: _"What?"_ Master Makarov's jaw was as far-gone as the Tower kids', while all the Council members had gone so pale they seemed to have bleached out.

"My actions in the Tower of Heaven caused the slave revolt, thus gaining the attention of Fairy Tail," Jellal said, in what Erza imagined must be his idea of an explanation. _In Jellal's long history of weak excuses on behalf of others, this has got to be the worst,_ she decided, groaning. "I will accept punishment in Fairy Tail's stead. Take me," he finished.

"You're not going to listen to him," Makarov jumped in, staring wide-eyed at the Council, "are you? The Council is aware that young Jellal was traumatized both physically and psychically?"

"Master Fernandes," Seam replied, holding his forehead with a heavy sigh, "I suppose you imagine that a noble gesture, but do you truly believe you can use your family connections to absolve Fairy Tail?"

Jellal straightened, looking up at the Chairman and blinking. "What family, sir?"

"Me," a voice that was almost Jellal's echoed from the far end of the room, "presumably." Jellal spun to face the newcomer, everyone else turning to look. The speaker remained in shadow, but was clearly no taller than Jellal. _That proves nothing,_ Erza reminded herself, glancing at Makarov. The visitor walked slowly into the trial room. "I can assure you, Chairman, that Jellal would not do such a thing even if he knew he could. I, on the other hand, urge you to pick a suitably face-saving fine."

"Wait, I'm sure we can discuss this!" Makarov blurted, waving his hands in clear panic.

Org snorted, sole eye narrowing over his long beard. "A fine you will no doubt cover."

"Well, they did save my only surviving family," the new Fernandes replied, "which is more than the Rune Knights managed." The Councillors murmured at that, but Erza couldn't make out anything that sounded like a response. _Even my new eye can't see through those shadows,_ she thought, grimacing. "Truly, you should consider the public outcry if you punish the guild responsible for hundreds of families being reunited. In every city across Fiore and Bosco, they're raising glasses to the wizards who brought someone beloved home."

Jellal leaned forward, eyes narrowing to peer more carefully at Fairy Tail's savior. "We're related?"

The boy stepped out of the shadows, and Erza, who thought she was beyond shock, stared in utter disbelief. Aside from his impossibly clean white clothes, he was Jellal's exact double, down to the bluest of blue hair and the mystic birthmark around one eye. "You don't remember. That makes sense, I'm sorry to say. I remained with Father at the manor while you went with Mother to the country."

"Manor?" Shou blurted.

"That's what I call dandy," Wally replied. _Dandy? What does that mean?_ Erza wondered.

Jellal reached out with a quivering hand. "Who...?"

"Ever since those monsters killed our parents and took you away, Jellal, I've been looking for you. I'm Siegrain Fernandes. Your brother."

_Brother?!_ Erza gaped.


	11. Vol. 2, Ch. 4

Earthland-1, Outside Clover Town, X790: Meredy

Ultear slammed her hand down on the crystal ball. "Pause!" she barked, and the scene froze.

Meredy stared at the image in disbelief, looking from the ragged Jellal-2 to the composed Siegrain and back. "You have a twin brother?" she asked the Jellal beside her. _How did I not know this?_ she wondered.

"No," Jellal replied, then hesitated. "Well, there's Edolas-Jellal, whom you know as Mystogan, but he's more my counterpart. 'Siegrain' was merely a Thought Projection spell I used to infiltrate the Council with Ultear's help. There's no such person, at least not in our world."

Ultear stared at Siegrain-2 through slitted eyes, as though considering what to do about a viper. "There is a very slim chance that this Siegrain is simply another anomaly, like their Gildarts being my counterpart's father when ours is not mine. Given what their Grimoire Heart did to that Jellal, I find it much more likely that this boy is a plant of some sort." She drummed her fingers on the crystal. _Ohhh, she's ticked,_ Meredy realized. "He's likely a shapeshifter wielding the demonic power grown in that Jellal like a parasite. Possibly an actual demon forged from it, though that is less likely."

"We don't know that," Jellal explained, voice gentle. "He could just as easily be the result of our involvement."

"And that's as close as you'll ever come to saying 'I told you so,' I know," Ultear drawled, "but we can still fix this. No eleven-year-old boy talks like he did. This Siegrain _has_ to be related to the Tower ritual, which means his power is a mere three weeks old."

"Wait," Meredy cut in quickly, holding her hand between the older mages. "Didn't their Master Makarov and Porlyusica cleanse Jellal of whatever Hades did to him?"

"It wasn't Hades," Ultear explained. "I know his magic. Whoever the dragon lady was, she's more of a craftswoman than Precht ever was – or is, in that world – but she's also more impulsive. She removed the demon runes she inflicted on the poor boy. The residue was enough to make Jellal-2 feel tainted, but she extracted all the dark power before someone could exorcize it."

Meredy crossed her arms and scowled at the crystal. "Look, I've been traveling with our resident knight in shining armor long enough to know we're not going to break up kid-Jellal and his long-lost twin brother." She waved at the image while Jellal hid his expression under his hood. "Skip ahead a little. Let's see where they go next."

Ultear chuckled. "Do you even need to ask?"


	12. Vol. 3, Ch. 1

**Volume Three: Where the Heart Is**

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X776: Jellal

"Welcome to Fairy Tail!" Makarov cried.

"Aye!" a hundred thunderous voices replied.

Jellal stared in disbelief. In spite of everything he'd endured, everything _they_ had endured, it was more impossible than anything he'd seen. The hall seemed to go on forever, with more than a dozen tables rocking to the raucous, happy bedlam. A boy in a black body suit danced in whirling abandon; the magic radiating from him made Jellal feel stronger. Two men, one with dark hair and the other with an enormous pompadour, were laughing and drinking together as they waved to the newcomers. Jellal's eyes widened when the girl with hair almost the color of his own waved to Ultear and Gray, as many books as Jellal had ever seen in one place on the table in front of her. _She was the one with Lady Enno, at the trial,_ he remembered.

"Wow," Millianna whispered. "This place is full of life!"

"Fantastic!" Shou breathed.

"Wonderful," Simon agreed.

Wally grinned. "The dandiest place ever!"

Erza groaned alongside the other three kids. "Do you even know what that word means, Wally?"

The newly-minted polygon mage shook his blocky head and sighed. "It's a really big word, like magic. It means 'cool,' and 'style,' and 'awesome,' but it's not any of those by itself. Dandy is life!" He punched the air.

The other kids stared at him, but Makarov laughed. "That's the spirit, lad! Find your own path in the world! That's the Fairy Tail way!"

"With respect, Master, words still mean things," Erza objected, bowing slightly. "I am not certain that Wally is using this one correctly."

Wally opened the hand he still held in the air. A burgundy hat with a pale blue band appeared in it, and he donned the hat with a flourish. "Dandy," he replied pointedly, tipping the hat in what Jellal had to admit was a rakish angle. Millianna giggled.

"Maybe we can work on his vocabulary later," Simon suggested, pointing into the hall. When Jellal and Erza followed his direction, they realized that Shou was already playing cards with Cana while Millianna was clutching a paper from the job board. _Probably someone's lost cat,_ the star-mage guessed.

"Shou! Millianna!" Erza marched down, Wally's recent obsession forgotten. "You're still guests!"

Makarov chuckled again. "Nonsense, Miss Scarlet. You may not have the mark on your bodies, but Fairy Tail resides in our hearts." A blond boy on the second floor balcony snorted, glancing away. _Who's that?_ Jellal wondered. Noting the lightning bolt mark on the blond's face, Jellal touched his own face mark with new uncertainty. _Is this some wizard's mark? If that's true, though, why couldn't I use magic to save my friends?_ He rubbed a wrist. _The Master says we all have magic potential. Were the cultists picking kids with the gift? Were we more than just workers?_ He looked away again, head bowed. _Why? Why did they do that to us?_

Master Makarov cleared his throat. It was a soft sound, but it made Jellal shudder all the same, head whipping around to look to the great wizard. "Easy, my boy. That's a terribly serious face for someone being welcomed into this rowdy lot." He put a hand on Jellal's shoulder, a gesture as gentle as his voice. "Are you any better?"

"It's – loud," Jellal admitted, eyes darting away. "Not the noise. The Tower was worse for that. I used to dream of being around nice people, as many as I could see. Now, though..."

Makarov nodded. "You don't just hear others," he replied, "you feel them. That is what makes you the strength your friends rely upon, but it is also a great burden." He looked Jellal over more carefully. "The magic that summoner used on you left your heart raw, open. You'll probably need some privacy for a time."

Jellal's eyes widened. "I don't want to be any trouble, sir," he blurted.

"It's no trouble at all, lad!" Makarov guided Jellal to the blue-haired girl. "Levy! This is Jellal Fernandes. Jellal, this is Levy McGarden. She and Gray manage our library."

Jellal's head whipped around to the Master again, eyes so wide they almost hurt. "Library?" he whispered. "You have a library?"

"Jellal was always sneaking through the Tower tunnels," Erza explained, suddenly at their side. _It's amazing, how she can do that in metal armor,_ Jellal thought. "He read everything he could find. Uncle Rob called him a 'prodigy.' That means he's really smart, right?"

Makarov nodded, rubbing his chin. "Well, it can mean other things as well, but in this case you're exactly right. Jellal, you were something of an elder brother to this lot, were you not?"

"Yes sir," the boy reported immediately, nodding. "I was the first. Siegrain says I was five. I don't remember much from – from before, but I can picture a cake with five candles."

Millianna raced over, cat-job-flier back on the board. "Nii-san is right! He took care of us when those people brought us in!" She hugged Jellal, the older boy smiling a fraction at her inescapable grip. Erza lit up, gasping. _Huh?_ Jellal wondered.

Makarov blinked. "Knee-sahn?" he asked.

"It means 'big brother,' Simon explained. "It's from my family's language. Shou's too. Millianna likes it, so we taught her as much as we could." He looked away. "The guards made us speak their language. I forgot most of it. Millianna uses it more than I do, now."

"It's got some great words!" Millianna exulted, bouncing in place. "My favorite is 'neko,' of course!"

"It means 'cat,'" Jellal translated, shrugging. Master Makarov laughed and patted Millianna on the head. The girl purred. _Of course._

"Nii-san saved us," Millianna continued, her smile vanishing in an eyeblink. Her hug tightened somehow. "Every time I thought I would break, he was there holding me together."

"It's the same for all of us," Erza said, looking away suddenly. Her face was hidden behind those unforgettable scarlet locks. "He took our shifts when we were sick, came between us and their whips, carried us back to our cells when we collapsed, held us when we cried...if I was able to help Jellal, it's only because he was our hope when there was no hope in the whole world."

"He could have escaped on his own," Simon added, striding over, tears glistening in his eyes. "They would have killed the rest of us. Jellal wouldn't leave us behind. Not ever."

**Music Cue: Fairy Tail Main Theme - Slow ver.**

Jellal's tears wouldn't stay in, streaming down his cheeks in defiance of his fractured will. "You all saved me, too," he whispered, putting an arm around Millianna. "When I was alone, I didn't have any hope either. When they brought Millianna, I had someone to take care of. Then Wally, Shou, Uncle Rob, Erza and Simon...the more people I could help, the more it gave me strength."

"'When you feel helpless,'" Ultear said, walking over, "'help someone.' That's something my mom taught me." Jellal thought he heard Ultear sniffle in the distance, but the woman in front of him was smiling and serene. "For these five, hope will always be blue."

"Hope is red," Jellal said without thinking. He suddenly felt warm.

Shou giggled. "Your _face_ is red, nii-san."

"Courage is red," Simon replied, jaw tight. "Miss Ultear is right. Hope is blue."

Jellal began to tremble. It was like every wound had reopened at once. "But...I can't..." he squeezed his eyes shut, but the tears wouldn't stop. "...it hurts too much. I can't help any more. I'm broken."

"Nonsense!" Erza cried, and that forced Jellal's eyes open. She was holding a sword aloft. "You are Jellal Fernandes! The Cult of Zeref itself fears you! You were our light when their darkness tried to swallow us! You were our shadow when their fire tried to burn us away! We are all Fairy Tail wizards now, and we will be _your_ strength for as long as you need it!" She banished the sword and joined Millianna in her hug. "And when you're better, we will stop them. Together."

"Together," Wally agreed, throwing himself into the hug.

"Together," Shou joined in.

"Together," Simon echoed. Jellal found himself half-buried in family, all of them holding him upright when he thought he couldn't stand any longer.

"You...guys..." Jellal sobbed, no longer fighting the tears. "I will get strong again, I promise. We'll all be Fairy Tail wizards together."

"You already are, lad," Makarov whispered. "You already are."


	13. Vol. 3, Ch. 2

Earthland-1, Outside Clover Town, X790: Ultear

Ultear wiped her eyes and composed herself. "We should go," she insisted. Her partners both nodded. "We've stayed in one place for too long."

"Worth Woodsea," Jellal suggested. "Three people could hide for months in that forest. Oracion Seis lost themselves in it for years."

"Creepy example," Meredy noted, pouting dramatically, "but he's got a point."

Ultear nodded, and the three mages pulled up their hoods. The time mage found herself lost in thought as the trio began walking, her Arc granting them speed far beyond their sedate pace. _"When you feel helpless, help someone." I'll never forget...Mom._


	14. Vol. 3, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, Fernandes Estate, X776: Ur

_I have been absurdly fortunate these last two years,_ Ur Milkovich thought, looking up at the white marble manor looming over them, _but this is too much._ Jellal's brother waved them along, and the storm of children raced to follow, staring in every direction as if trying to grow extra eyes. Ultear and Gray trailed behind, her daughter chuckling while her son struggled to maintain his scowl. Ur herself kept to the back, ready to herd any strays along. "It's beautiful," she called out.

"Thank you, Lady Ur," an elderly gentleman replied, and Ur blinked to find a pair of stunning golden eyes meeting hers. "We've worked hard to keep it so." Ur reclaimed her senses after a moment, taking in a flawless black suit and thinning white hair. _Those eyes...he's seen more than most of us can imagine,_ she realized.

"Miss Milkovich, this is Alphonse," Siegrain explained with a smile. "Technically, he's my new butler. In reality, he's been maintaining our family's finances for the past few months." He turned to Jellal, smile growing warmer. "He's amazing, Jellal. You won't know how you managed without him."

Ur and Siegrain both found their smiles fading when Jellal bowed to the kind-looking old man. _Zen, the boy is so serious,_ Ur thought, forcing herself not to grimace. _Where's that smile Erza goes on about?_ "It's an honor to meet you, sir," Jellal said, voice soft.

"The honor is mine, Master Jellal," he replied, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. Jellal looked back up, hazel eyes meeting gold. "I had my share of adventures in my youth, but what I survived pales compared to what you and your friends managed."

"It's not a contest, sir," Jellal insisted. "Besides, Erza's the real hero," he whispered, looking away. Erza blushed, finding her toes fascinating, not for the first time. "The Cult tore me apart."

"O-only because you saved me first," Erza objected, biting her lip and looking down. "Please, Jellal." He nodded and shrugged, giving in without actually conceding the point. And Siegrain...

_There he goes again._ Ur's stomach churned when she caught Siegrain glaring at Erza, his eyes narrowed to cold slits. _This kid reminds me of Lyon, from just before he left,_ she thought. Alphonse glanced toward the white-clad twin as well. "Is something wrong, Master Siegrain?" the older man asked. His tone was mild, but furrowed eyebrows told Ur that she wasn't the only one worried about him.

Siegrain's grin returned, but it was as cold and crafted as any Ice-Make creation. "Not at all, Alphonse. My brother's finally home." He grasped Jellal's hand, and the grin warmed. "I have so much to show you." Jellal returned Siegrain's grin with a shaky and uncertain smile, but he held his brother's hand tightly.

Erza hung back as the twins headed for the manor. Shou, Millianna, and Wally raced around, dashing from statue to fountain to topiary and back. Simon joined Erza, the two watching the blue-haired boys go ahead. "Is everything all right, Alphonse?" Ur asked, approaching the "butler."

Alphonse paused, eyes still on the twins, then turned to Ur with a dazzling smile. "Of course, Miss Milkovich. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Mmm," Ur hummed, looking the kids over.  _Why indeed?_ Gray was actually enjoying himself for once, standing atop an artfully-frozen fountain spray while Shou and Millianna clapped. Wally had gone over to Simon, the shadow mage pointing at the manor and smiling. Ultear was watching the downcast Erza, not quite scowling. "Ultear."

Her daughter jumped a fraction. "Mom?"

"Help me catch up to them, would you?" Ur indicated the twins with a gesture.

Ultear shrugged. "Okay. Arc of Space: Reunion!" A small gate opened, the manor sprawling out ahead of the boys. Ur strode through, nodding to her daughter as she went.

"...the one change I made," Siegrain was saying when Ur arrived. "You can practice just about any spell you can imagine there." He clapped Jellal on the shoulder. "We even share the same art! Heavenly Body Magic!"

"I call it Cosmic Magic," Jellal replied, voice soft.

Siegrain giggled. _Oh Zen, there's an eleven year old boy in there after all,_ Ur sighed. "Saying 'Heavenly Body Magic' is more fun," he quipped.

"Cosmic Magic is faster," Jellal said, jaw tight as he looked away, "and more accurate, and it's not what _they_ called it."

Siegrain looked down, almost frowning. "Don't you want to stay?"

"It's not that," Jellal blurted, but Siegrain flinched. "I'll visit all the time, I promise. It's just...Fairy Tail's my home now. I can't just leave them."

"Jellal, sooner or later, those kids are going to have to learn to manage without you," Siegrain insisted, turning away. "Fairy Tail's got plenty of mages. All we have is each other."

"It doesn't have to be that way, Sieg," Jellal said, one hand reaching out for a moment. When there was no response, Jellal let it drop. "They could be your friends too."

"I don't think so," Siegrain whispered.

"You don't like them," Ur cut in, and both boys jumped three inches before turning to face her. "They're not the ones who took your brother, Siegrain."

Siegrain turned pink and looked away from her. "I know that, Miss Ur, but my brother's...not well, and they're part of the reason."

"They're not," Jellal insisted, turning a fierce gaze on Siegrain.

"They _are,"_  Siegrain shot back, arms crossed. The two stood there for several seconds, eyes locked. Then, in the exact same instant, they looked away, sighing. "I don't want to fight about this again, Jellal. Just...keep your promise. Please."

"I will," Jellal agreed.

Siegrain's smile returned. _He's only genuine around his brother. I don't like it._ The white-clad boy beckoned Jellal to a decadent set of marble stairs. "Come on, Jellal. I've got to show you _our_ library." The young biblophile's eyes grew saucer-wide.

"Would you go ahead for a second, Jellal? I'd like a word with your brother," Ur said. Jellal turned a panicked gaze toward her, eyes flickering between the older woman and his brother.

"It's fine," Siegrain agreed. "I'll be right up." Jellal raced up the stairs, vanishing with an ease Simon might have envied. _I think Simon envies him enough,_ Ur thought, chuckling inwardly. "Okay, Miss Ur, go ahead."

"I know what it's like, trying to care for someone who's been through that kind of trauma," Ur explained, crouching a bit to put them at a more even level. "Shutting out the other people in his life won't help."

"They're _parasites,"_ Siegrain hissed. Ur recoiled. "The redhead talks a big game about supporting Jellal, but the instant she's uncomfortable, Little Miss 'Hero' is clutching Jellal's shirt like she's about to faint. The others aren't much better." The ice wizard's jaw worked, but no sound came out. "I like the rest of Fairy Tail's wizards, ma'am. You and your kids saved Jellal, and I'll never forget that. But I won't let _anyone_ hurt him again." They locked eyes, but still Ur had no words. "I'm going to rejoin my brother now. Please excuse me." He offered a shallow bow and went upstairs.

"He hates us," Erza whispered from the door, and Ur's heart pounded like a sledgehammer, "doesn't he?"

_Where did she come from?_ Ur wondered, but forced a smile for the sad escapee. "Give him time. You have something precious in common, someone you both care for more than anything. He'll come around."

Erza glanced up the stairs. "Maybe," she breathed. Ur followed her gaze, thinking of Lyon and the wild, half-mad look in his eyes. _Yeah. Maybe._


	15. Vol. 3, Ch. 4

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X776: Erza

Erza walked into the guild hall, Milli and Shou at her heels. The usual wave of greetings washed over them. _It's only been a month since we joined,_ the requip mage mused, _but it already feels so familiar._ She glanced at her left arm, the beautiful blue of her guild mark almost glowing in the sunlight streaming through the door. Erza couldn't help but smile.

That smile vanished as Shou ran toward Cana. "Fight me, Cana!" Shou cried, charging at her with his own cards orbiting his hands.

The Crash Sister chuckled. "Wind Edge," she replied. A burst of air knocked Shou into a nearby table, leaving him barely-conscious with swirling eyes.

Wally laughed from the table he shared with Simon. "Not your dandiest moment, Shou," their gunslinger friend quipped. Millianna giggled. Wally's new friend Alzack was there, images of various firearms floating between them. Several maps of Ishgar lay spread across the table. _Still looking for Wally's brother and Simon's sister,_ she thought, briefly sad for the pair.

_Then again, it could be worse._ She stole a glance at Jellal, who was in the "readers' corner" with Levy, Gray, and Ultear. Piles of books covered the table. Levy was reading one of her novels, Ultear was eye-deep in another of her travelogues, Gray was (as always) reading up on demon hunting, and Jellal had yet _another_ book of magic in front of him. _"Elements of Earthland,"_ Erza read, _"and Hybrid Elemental Magic." Gods, Jellal, one Art at a time!_ He looked at her and smiled. She felt warm as she looked away. _That was less sad than last time, I think. I hope. Curse you, Siegrain._ She scanned the room for something to distract her from how weird Jellal made her feel, and how the thought of his twin made her burn inside, to find Shou pushing himself to his feet. "You!" she barked, and Shou cowered before her. "What have I told you about starting fights inside the hall?"

"Relax, Red, everyone does it," Cana laughed, waving her off. Her smile vanished when she found Erza towering over her. _That is a suitable expression of concern,_ Erza decided at the sudden fear Cana displayed. "eep!"

"Ohhh?" Erza replied, eyes glinting. "So if everyone breaks a rule, that makes it right?"

"Please don't damage my sister," Ultear called over, grinning, "much."

"I'll remember this, you coward!" Cana gasped, turning from Erza to Ultear and back. "C-calm down, Erza! Shou's fine, and so's the table."

Erza glared at Cana for a moment longer. "Hmm," she replied, then banished her armor and turned toward Master Makarov. "Our mission is complete, Master. I have the guild's perca...er, perce...here's your cut, Master," she said at last, handing over a small stack of Jewel. Master Makarov just nodded and downed another drink. Erza frowned at that, but chose not to say anything. _It would be inappropriate of me to reprimand the Master._ The man hiccuped. It smelled of hops. _In public,_ she amended to herself.

"Percentage," Jellal whispered. His magic carried his words to her ears alone. _Thank you, Jellal._ She turned to finish reprimanding Shou, but he was hiding behind Milli. "Please don't be too hard on Shou," Jellal continued. "He idolizes you, Erza."

Taking one long breath to compose herself, she indulged in one last glare at her younger teammate, then strode over to Wally and Simon. "Any progress?" she asked.

Simon shook his head. Wally glanced over at Team Reader. "Jellal might have a lead on my brother," Wally said, though to Erza it sounded like an admission. "He doesn't want to say much yet. I think he's worried that Richard was...one of the stronger kids." Erza shuddered, then hugged Wally on an impulse. "Ow," Wally grunted. Ignorant of the impact his newly-blocky head had made on her pauldron, she let him go and walked over to the mages with their book hoard.

"Erza," Gray called. "Spar today?" She shook her head, and the ice mage sighed.

"She just got back from a mission, you glutton," Ultear chuckled. "Give her some time."

"Hey, 'today' can be later," Gray complained, then buried his gaze in his book. Erza's mind flashed back to that fateful day in the Tower, the ice mage standing between Jellal and the monster who'd wanted to make him hers. _Fear not, Gray. I_ will _make you strong enough to kill your demon, no matter what it takes._ Then she returned her attention to her sapphire-haired partner.

"Jellal," Erza said. _Gods, where did my voice go?_ she wondered, realizing it had been hardly more than a whisper. Clearing her throat, she continued in a more confident tone. "Wally thinks you might have a lead." Jellal looked down, lips pressed together. Without a word, he handed Erza a sheaf of papers. "Oracion Seis?" she asked, looking over the rap sheet cover with an expert eye.

"You know how we thought they killed the kids who got too strong to control?" Jellal asked, sounding haunted. "I'm not so sure any more." Erza flipped through the pictures. Except for the first, a man with odd lines on his face, they were all painfully familiar. _Macbeth. Sorano. Erik. Sawyer._ They'd been in another group. _Even Jellal couldn't help them before they disappeared._ Now, they were listed as Midnight, Angel, Cobra, and Racer. Then she reached the last page, and Erza gasped. The boy's face had probably been round once, but it was blockier than Wally's, and somehow even flatter. _Of course, Wally's only starting to wield his strange magic._ The large boy was listed as "Hoteye," and he wielded powerful Earth Magic. "Their name means 'Six Prayers,' in Alvarish," Jellal explained.

"Their guild logo includes the kanji for 'Six Demons,' too," Levy added.

"You think they were recruited," Erza filled in. Jellal looked away. _That was answer enough,_ she decided. "The ones they could turn."

"Waste not, want not," Jellal muttered, Erza sensing a faint echo of outrage beneath the sadness. "They were almost able to turn me, and they weren't really trying. What chance does a defenseless child have against Possession Magic, after a lifetime in the Tower?"

"So this could be Richard," she filled in. "Or at least, his body."

"That depends on the means used to control him," he explained, looking back up. "Or it could be someone completely different." Jellal shrugged and sighed. "Anyway, Oracion Seis is currently the fastest-rising guild in the Balam Alliance." Erza hissed in disgust. "They answer directly to Grimoire Heart," Jellal continued, emotion fading from his voice, "and even that may not last. According to Siegrain, this 'Brain' has limitless ambition." Erza frowned at that. _Siegrain wouldn't lie about that of all things,_ she wondered, _would he?_

"I think...I think I know him," Ultear whispered, staring at the picture of the guild's leader. Erza, Jellal, and Levy all looked at her in surprise, though none of them held a candle to Gray. The ice mage leaped to his feet, eyes wide in shock. "There was a time they left me in my cell for a few days. Twice, a group of them came by. I think he was in charge. He – Brain – was the only one who didn't bother to hide his face." She shivered. "He smiled at me once. It was the way a normal person smiles at their breakfast."

Frost rose from Gray's now-bare back in waves. "Does he have a bounty on his head?" he asked.

"No," Jellal jumped in. "Gray, Fairy Tail's in enough trouble. One monster at a time."

"Deliora isn't after my sister," Gray whispered. _That's the same way the Master whispered at the Council,_ Erza realized. "Deliora didn't help run the Tower of Heaven."

"We don't know that," Jellal replied. "He probably just had connections with the Cult through the Alliance. I never saw him there, and the Tower was almost my whole life."

Gray turned narrowed eyes on Jellal. "This guy may have Wally's brother, and you don't want to go looking for him?"

"I don't want to get into a life-and-death fight with someone who might be _controlling_ Wally's brother," Jellal explained. Gray went pale, then looked away. "Brain's guildmates are Tower victims, even more than the rest of us. The Six Prayers are _complicated,_ Gray. We can't just charge into this the way you and Ultear did to rescue us."

"Besides, Gray, I can take care of myself." Ultear added, folding her arms. Gray made a _tch_ sound and turned away. "Look, I love you for wanting to save everyone, but you can't. No one can." Erza nodded twice, humming in agreement.

"If you're looking for people to save," a distant woman's voice called out, "we can help with that." Erza jumped back and reached for her sword, but controlled herself before requipping it. The entire guild went silent at the echoing words.

Ultear held up her hand. "That's one of the...we call them the Three Voices. They're the reason Gildarts found me, saved me. Then they led us to you."

"Then why didn't you save Uncle Rob?" Erza demanded, fingers twitching. There was a pause.

"We tried," a man's voice replied, "but Grimoire Heart discovered our interference. They've been working to ward us out ever since." Again, there was a brief silence. "I'm sorry, Erza." The warrior-mage relaxed. _He sounds sad, yet...also, so warm. Jellal's father should have had a voice like this._ She nodded.

"They're about to attack the town of Saori," the woman continued. "Grimoire Heart will slaughter everyone there, except possibly a young child with tremendous magic potential." An image of an impossibly cute pink-haired girl appeared above their table. "Given the changes we've made, they might not bother to spare her. However, you should have three days to alert the Magic Council, hear their pathetic excuses, and go protect Saori Town in spite of them."

"You have a low opinion of the Council, it seems," Master Makarov commented. He looked almost serene, once again sitting _on_ the bar, arms folded.

The distant man sighed. "We know most of them mean well. Some members of the Rune Knights might be reasonable on the matter."

"If they're not," the woman cut in, "the girl's name is Meredy Goto. At the moment, she's a kind, innocent child with no concept of the evil about to descend on her world. If you feel even the slightest gratitude toward us, please, protect her."

"It's not as important as it may sound," a younger woman added, her voice slower and less certain. "She's not going to save the world or any–mmph."

_"Please help her,"_ the older woman repeated. The image of the pink-haired girl disappeared. It took only a handful of seconds for every eye in the guild to turn to the Master.

"We are entirely permitted to oppose an open attack on an Ishgar town by a Dark Guild," Makarov explained, and the collective exhalations were enough for Erza to think she'd been the only one not holding her breath. (The long, deep breath she took in a moment later could not in any way be construed as evidence to the contrary, of course.) Makarov cleared his throat. "After recent events, however, it would be wise to at least inform the Rune Knights of our suspicions." More sighs followed, though those were accompanied by nods. _It seems that even Fairy Tail knows when not to push its luck, sometimes,_ Erza decided. "Also, we're going to have to keep a low profile while we're there, so they don't wait to attack on another day while we're busy." Makarov took in a deep breath of his own. _"So don't destroy the town before Grimoire Heart even gets there, you brats!"_ he barked.

Nearly the whole guild laughed in response. "Don't worry, old man," Macao called over. "As long as we don't bring Gildarts, it should be fine!"

Ur slapped him on the top of his head. "You're not much better, Conbolt," she retorted, to more laughter. "Master," she continued, instantly serious, "may I suggest that we form a genuine plan before traveling to Saori Town?" With a thoughtful rumble, the master nodded.

Jellal's fingers went to his chest. _Where his guild mark is, over his heart,_ Erza thought. It was easier than usual to stave off a blush, given the amount of work to be done. _Three days. We have to convince Master Makarov to let us come, get Simon's magic to awaken, and devise a plan that's mayhem-proof in that time. We have our work cut out for us._


	16. Vol. 4, Ch. 1

**Volume Four: Grimoire Blitz**

Earthland-2, Saori Town, X776: Simon

Pop. Pop. Pop.

_Well, Miss Ultear did warn me that teleporting's kind of addictive._

Simon had been careful not to admit it, but there was no denying that seeing all his friends master their magic in a matter of days had been frustrating. _It's no surprise that Erza is amazing, or that Jellal's some kind of genius, but..._

From Saori's shadowed alleyways, Simon watched his old friends. Shou was observing several rooftops through his cards. Millianna had climbed to the top of one of the town's tallest buildings, watching the seaside with less concentration than Simon would have liked. Wally was using his own polygon flash-step to flicker from vantage point to vantage point. _At least using your brain is 'dandy,' I think,_ Simon mused, noting that Wally wasn't appearing anywhere obvious. _I'm glad the others found magic arts that suit them, but...it's good to feel helpful again. Dark Moment wasn't exactly the most awesome magic by itself._

He merged with the darkness again, just as Ultear had taught him, then flowed out near the Space mage and her mother. "Miss Ur, Ultear, everything's quiet for now," he reported. "Well, Millianna's standing on top of one of the pier buildings, but she's not using the antenna for a scratching post," he added with a lopsided grin.

Ur pressed her hand to her forehead, eyes closed. "Zen help us. Ultear?"

"We've found the Meredy the Voices mentioned," Ultear explained, holding up her crystal ball. A tiny, pink-haired girl walked beside two adults Simon presumed were her parents. _She's adorable,_ Simon thought, watching the child skip merrily beside the larger figures. Her attention was likely taken up by whatever was playing in the large earphones she wore. Enormous green eyes danced without focus as she moved. "She's a perfectly normal girl on the surface, though according to the Master, the Voices were right about her magical potential."

"Mmm," Simon grunted. _I wish we knew more about these Voices,_ he mused. _If Grimoire Heart is here for some kind of Zeref key, why is this poor kid important?_

"You should understand that better than most," Ur replied. Simon leaped two feet into the air, staring in desperate confusion at the older wizard. Ur raised an eyebrow a fraction. "Is something wrong, Simon?"

"H-how did you know what I was thinking? Do you know telepathy?!" Simon blurted. _Oh crap!_ He desperately tried not to think of anything embarrassing...which quickly became a spectacular failure as he thought of all the things he _didn't_ want to think of in rapid succession. Ur giggled, which only made Simon want to sink into the ground and disappear.

"Whoa!" Ultear gasped, grabbing his arm. Simon looked up at Ultear, who seemed much taller for some reason, then down. He yelped at the sight of his body sunk nearly to his hips in shadow. "Come on, Simon, out of the pool." With a quick tug that surprised Simon with how gentle it was, Ultear extracted him with a soft 'pop.'

Again, Ur giggled. "Simon, put your index and middle finger to your forehead and think, 'the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.'" Simon obeyed, though he couldn't help adding _the what did which now?_ at the end. "It's just a test phrase. Now take your fingers off your forehead." Once more, Simon did as told. "Now, what was that about Erza and strawberry milkshakes?"

Simon thought he was going to combust on the spot. His eyes locked onto his toes. "Y-you heard that..."

Ur's smile was gentle as she put a hand on his head. "Before, yes. Now, you should be able to control your mental contacts with a gesture. I don't hear whatever you're thinking right now." Immense relief rolled through the shadow mage, causing him to deflate nearly an inch.

"You know that she and Jellal are joined at the hip, right?" Ultear asked, flinching from her mother's glare a moment later. "Um, sorry..."

Simon shrugged. "It's okay. I know." He bowed his head, jaw and lips tight. "I feel awful, thinking anything bad about Jellal. Whenever I thought I was going to break, from the work, or the beatings, or the – the _hopelessness_ of it all, Jellal was there, making it bearable somehow. He saved us, all of us, in every way you can possibly imagine. He's probably my best friend. It's just... Erza, she's..." a second wave of heat washed over his face, and he twisted his hands together. "Maybe this is why my magic is dark. I...might not be a good person."

Ultear snorted and folded her arms, causing Simon's head to whip back up. "You don't get to go on about how awesome your friend is, then ignore what he said to you about that," she snapped.

Simon's memory shot back a day. _"It is nothing to worry about, so long as you use your magic for honest ends," Master Makarov said, smiling at Simon from across one of the guild's many tables. "Light Guilds and Dark Guilds refer to how they work – in the open, under the eye of the Magic Council, or hiding from authority. They're symbolic terms."_

_"Besides, they're not very good symbols," Jellal added, dropping onto the bench next to Simon and putting a hand on his shoulder. "In the...in places where evil people have the power, they use light against good people. Your darkness magic would be the best thing ever against them!" Erza nodded twice in the manner she'd adopted since joining Fairy Tail, humming with each bob of her head. "What could be greater wizardry than that?"_

_"You can say 'Tower,' Jellal," Simon replied, fists clenched. He relaxed a few seconds later. "And...thanks."_

_Jellal's smile wasn't the unbreakable grin of old, but it was the closest Simon had seen from him since their escape. "What are friends for?"_

"I'd better check in with Master Dreyar." He paused, looking down again. "Th-thanks, Ultear." Before he could say (or think) any more stupid stuff, he dropped into the darkness, reappearing in their impromptu headquarters.

Master Makarov was standing on a bench, looking over a map with Ultear's dad. _Man, he sure doesn't look like a guy who wrecks entire cities with a punch._ Gildarts was almost somber for the first time Simon could remember, but even then he had hints of a grin at the edge of his mouth. "Sir, everyone's in position," he reported. Both men looked over at him. "Though Millianna could be more discreet, and I may have just learned Telepathy Magic."

Makarov blinked, then laughed. "Oh ho, so nothing serious, then!" He waved Simon over, and the boy rushed to the Master's side, climbing onto the bench to look at the map with him. "After this mission, I'll introduce you to Warren. He's my grandson's age, and quite the gifted telepath. For now, though, I think you should stick to your Darkness Magic so long as you have a choice."

"Yes sir," Simon agreed, then ducked his head, certain he was blushing again.

Gildarts' smile returned. "Relax, kid. This is Fairy Tail. No 'sirs' here." He tapped the map with two fingers. One edge disintegrated into a lattice of tiny squares. "Oops. Mak, I know their weird ship is supposed to fly, but the sea's still their best approach. A big black-and-red fortress making its way across Ishgar is going to get folks' attention."

"Hmm. I figured as much," Makarov mused. "So _don't destroy the map!"_

Simon felt sweat forming for a moment while Gildarts laughed. The door bursting open got the attention of all three. A tall, thin man in a white shirt and a witch's black hat ran in. "Master, we've spotted them! A scary castle-thing flying in from the northeast!"

"Good work, Reedus," Makarov replied, sounding entirely calm to Simon. "Do the Rune Knights know?"

"Oui," Reedus replied, nodding. "They're not even trying to find excuses to arrest us any more."

_Wait, they were what?_ Simon thought, jaw dropping, but Makarov simply nodded back. "Mmm. Good. Rejoin your team. Have Warren tell Enno and Vijeeter to start dancing, then contact me directly."

"Oui, Master," Reedus acknowledged, then raced back out.

Gildarts' smile had vanished completely. "So. They were even right about this," the Crash mage muttered. "I wish we knew more about our Voices. The Rune Knights would think we were nuts if they knew what our 'anonymous informants' were."

"Well, they are informants, and they are anonymous," Makarov replied, sounding almost mild. "Gildarts." The two older men locked eyes. "Once you're outside the city...don't hold back."

Gildarts sighed. "I was afraid you'd say that, Master. Are you sure?" Master Makarov nodded without another word. "Okay. Hey, Simon, I need a lift. Jellal's a fast flyer, right?"

Simon straightened, blinking. "Um, yes si–er, Gildarts." He held out his arms, drawing the darkness in around him. "Whenever you're ready." The powerful wizard stepped into Simon's magic field. "Dark Vanish!" he chanted, and the pair disappeared.


	17. Vol. 4, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Saori Town, X776: Jellal

_Well, they certainly want people to know they're evil. At least they're honest,_ Jellal decided.

The ship was mostly black, with white skull-like accents and blood-red trim. Even the magic seals powering the monstrosity were the color of drying blood. Decorative bat wings framed a ribcage-like top deck, while twin skulls leered from the engines. _What did Miss Ur call them? Nacelles?_

"Here they come," Erza whispered. They watched from a seaside restaurant as the terrible ship grew closer. Locals started noticing the airship, standing and pointing at the approaching vessel.

"Now?" Jellal asked, slowly rising. _I'm not useless. I'm not helpless. I'm not broken._

_Not yet, kid,_ Gildarts replied, his thoughts sent by Warren Rocko's amazing magic.

Jellal nodded. _I am patient. I am calm. I am serene._ The sapphire-haired boy felt none of those things, but Master Ur's mantra seemed to help. _The Master says my magic is strong. I can help my friends. I can protect this town. I am a Fairy Tail wizard,_ the boy told himself. He almost believed it.

Then, three bolts shot from the top of the flying fortress. One was made of black flame and crimson eyes, the second was a golden light, and the third was formed of –

– _shadow and runes the color of old blood –_

– it took all of Jellal's self-control to not scream when he saw it. "Requip!" Erza cried, and her schoolgirl outfit vanished, replaced by her armor and twin swords. "Jellal, get behind me!"

That brought the blue-haired boy to his senses. "What? No!" he cried, gathering his magic.

_Kid, now!_ Gildarts shouted in his mind. _Wait, are you all ri–_

"Meteor!" Jellal chanted. With the speed and power of his spell's namesake, he shot to Gildarts and Simon, grabbed the Crash mage, and flew straight at the airship. He was still trembling. _Ten thousand people behind me, one shot is all it'll take – I have to be brave, I_ have _to!_

"Jellal! _Requip!"_ The young wizard looked behind him, to find Erza wearing an entirely new set of armor, four metal-feathered wings bearing her aloft behind him. _It looks like it's all made of wings,_  he noted, though she quickly fell behind.

"Crap, did I tell her the plan?" Gildarts muttered.

Jellal stared in disbelief at the Crash mage. "You didn't warn – _are you a monster?"_

Gildarts laughed. "Welcome to Fairy Tail, hot shot." A large portion of the upper decks began shifting, panels opening up to reveal an enormous cannon. "There! Throw me straight at it!"

Jellal swallowed, then concentrated, using the force granted by Meteor to obey. Gildarts whooped with glee as he shot right at the nightmare weapon. The boy hovered in place for a few seconds, watching with a growing sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, as Gildarts' bright wizardry clashed against the cannon's light-devouring magic.

Erza reached them before the battle had ended. "Jellal, what were you thinking?" she blurted.

"Sorry," he whispered. "Gildarts was supposed to tell you, I guess – Mavis, Chronos, and Ankhseram!" An eruption of the blood-rune shadows flared from the heart of Saori Town, followed by a cacophany of screams. Crushing the urge to eject his breakfast into the ocean, Jellal shot back towards the city, Erza gasping and following.

Reaching the crater took only a few seconds. Understanding the chaos below took a bit longer. Three figures stood in the heart of the devastation, Rune Knights and Fairy Tail wizards strewn around them. Reedus and Macao had been flung aside like dolls, while several of the younger Rune Knights looked...broken.

"Hee hee hee! That's what you get for standing against members of the Seven Kin, cannon fodder!" the blond cackled, almost dancing in place. _Seven Kin – of Purgatory?_ Jellal blanched.

"Ooo-wey," the huge pale man gasped, one hand gripping a small doll. "Is it here, Zalty?"

"Yes, _yes!"_ The third figure – more woman than dragon this time, but still wearing a clearly inhuman form – laughed at the skies. "The second key!" She pointed towards the center of town with a delicately clawed finger. "Find it, Zancrow! Burn everything in your path if you have to!"

"My favorite kind of order!" Zancrow, the blond, joined Zalty's laughter, then thrust his hand where she'd directed. Flames as dark as Simon's shadows lashed out. People screamed in terror.

_No!_ Jellal landed between the fire and the nearest building. "Wind Wall!" he chanted. _Mavis, help me!_

The black flames slammed into the aerial barrier. For a few seconds, it felt as though the unholy fire would eat through Jellal's shield, but his prayer was answered, and the wall held. Jellal leaned on his knees, panting. _Thank you, Goddess of Magic._

"Ooo-wey. He stopped Zancrow," the large man grunted.

"Shut up, Kain!" Zancrow snapped. "I'll tear his puny Wind Magic apart!" He held out his arms. "Flame God's Scythe!" he chanted. The eponymous weapon took form in the madman's hands.

"Starburst!" Jellal cried, pouring all his might into the simple spell. Dozens of golden blasts erupted from his palms, hammering the Grimoire mage with a barrage of raw power. Zancrow flew back, bouncing twice before slamming into a building on the opposite side of the crater. "Whoa..." Jellal gaped, then looked at his hands. _What am I?_

"Well look at that," Zalty commented, cocking her head and smiling at him. Dragon wings too small to carry her twitched on Zalty's back. Twin rows of sharp metal teeth gleamed at Jellal, leaving him shuddering. "The one that got away. Kain! Blue hair sounds like fun, yes, yes!"

"I'll tame him with Mr. Cursey!" Kain replied, nodding. Jellal braced himself, only to find the giant still nodding. _What..._ the boy wondered. Still. Nodding. He and Zalty both stared, a single bead of sweat appearing on each of their cheeks. A mostly-recovered Zancrow crossed his arms, tapping his foot and glaring.

Suddenly, Kain leaped, flying at Jellal with speed he hadn't thought the giant capable of. "Star Cage!" Jellal cried, and sapphire tendrils lashed out from the earth to grab the Grimoire mage. Using Meteor to dodge just in case, Jellal darted aside – then stared, jaw agape, as the tendrils slammed Kain to the ground, and the huge man started kicking and crying. _Seriously?_

"No fair, no fair! He's not letting me use Mr. Cursey!" Kain wailed. _Oh,_ Jellal thought, noticing the tiny doll pinned just out of the Grimoire mage's reach.

"Can I kill him now?" Zancrow rumbled, arms still crossed.

Zalty glanced at Zancrow, one eyebrow raised. "Which one?"

"Don't care," the fire wizard retorted. Zalty chuckled.

Erza landed in the middle of the battle with a crash of steel on stone, a dozen blades circling her. "Heaven's Wheel – Blumenblatt!" she chanted. Jellal stared in awe as both dark mages rushed to flee the swords, which cut through black flame and crimson rune alike. _Seireio Himself must have blessed her blades._

"This is pointless," Zalty sighed. "Zancrow! Burn it all down! I'm going for the key." Zancrow laughed with more abandon than ever, while the dragon woman spread her too-small wings and took to the skies. _Magic wings, duh,_ Jellal realized.

"I'll turn them to ash!" Zancrow replied, still laughing, and burst into dark flames again.

_Warren, the dragon-woman – Zalty – is going after some key! A crazy fire wizard's still here trying to burn the whole city,_ Jellal thought, reaching with grim desperation into his newfound magic. "Erza, we've got to stop this guy. He's gonna kill everyone!"

"Never!" Erza shouted, charging at the fire mage. "Trinity Sword!" The blast knocked Zancrow back into the same building. Again, however, the fire mage seemed largely unharmed.

That's when Jellal heard the desperate wail. Turning, his heart clenched at the sight of a little pink-haired girl, sobbing uncontrollably as she stumbled through the rubble. "Mommy! Daddy! Where are you?" _Oh no._

Zancrow glared at the child. _She has to be Meredy. It's been that kind of day,_ Jellal thought, resigned. "Small fry should disappear!" the fire mage snarled. "Flame God's Bellow!"

It was a desperate race, Meteor speed against murderous blaze, but Jellal refused to let the Zeref worshiper win. He snatched up the child, darting into the air just ahead of the fire burst. _Please be alive...please...there!_ Two adults, one a woman with long pink hair, were sifting through the wreckage. Everyone else was running away. Jellal shot to the woman's side. "Is this your daughter, miss?" he asked. Mrs. Goto snatched up her daughter, hugging the girl with abandon. "I guess so," he added, exhaling. The woman made sounds he assumed were some form of thanks in between sobs of relief.

Little Meredy stared at him with enormous green eyes. "You're a shooting star," she whispered. "Can I make a wish on you?"

He smiled for the little girl as best he could. "Sure, if you want," he replied, then darted back toward the battle. His eyes widened. _Gods have mercy._

Erza, requipped into a simple tunic and crimson gi pants, had been thrown back across the crater and was struggling to stand. Zancrow, meanwhile, was pulling one of her blades out of his shoulder like it was a thorn. "You think you can fight a God Slayer, girl? With _swords?_ I can burn down cities! MOUNTAINS!"

"I am a Fairy Tail wizard, and I don't _care_ what you can burn! Demon Blossom!" Erza chanted, and in an instant she was on the other side of the God Slayer, a glowing scarlet flower cut in the air around him. It exploded. He snarled, clutching his chest. For a moment, Jellal hoped he would fall, but Zancrow staggered toward Erza's new position and glared. Without the least sign of concern, Erza held out her hand, and the discarded sword returned to it.

_I've got to do something!_ Jellal concentrated, focusing on the most powerful spell he'd learned. Flying overhead, he drew the symbol in the sky, then landed at Erza's side and formed the targeting gesture with both hands. "Be judged by the Seven Stars! _Grand Chariot!"_

Hundreds of golden blasts rained down on the dark wizard, and even Zancrow screamed as his body was pummeled again and again. The storm of cosmic magic continued for several seconds, blinding Jellal. _Hopefully, Zancrow too,_ he thought. Then the storm abated, and Zancrow stumbled back, his sheath of black fire a weak flicker of flame. "You...little punk..." His eyes were unfocused, but his magic still burned.

_That's not good,_ Jellal thought, falling to one knee. _I think...I'm out of..._ Erza gasped, requipped back into her made-of-swords-armor, and threw herself between the God Slayer and the helpless boy. A dozen blades formed in front of her, crossing to form a crude shield. _No. Erza. I can't let–_

"Makarov Dreyar." The voice boomed from overhead, deep and fierce, like the judgement of the Underworld itself. Jellal managed to look up, then gaped in awe again at the sight of their guild master. Makarov had grown so large that he towered over the town's tallest buildings, even thigh-deep in the bay. He faced the Grimoire Heart airship, arms crossed. "It is not yet time for demons and fairies to dance. Kin. Return."

Zancrow snarled at them and shot into the air, riding his own flames. Some force ripped Kain from Jellal's Star Cage, easily tearing it apart. The ridiculous man flew into the sky, still wailing "ooo-wey." Zalty flew back to the ship under her own power. _Did she find her key? Mavis, I hope not._

_Did you say Mavis?_ Makarov replied, and while his physical face remained stern as it glared at the dark guild, Jellal could picture the old master staring in shock at the boy. _Don't worry about the artifact for now. We saved this city and its people,_ the Master added, then clapped his hands together, the sound roaring through the city. "Grimoire Heart. I suggest that you do _not_ return. Fairy Tail knows who you are, now."

"We already know you," the ship replied. "When the time comes, demons will consume fairies, and a new world will rise from the ashes of the old." Ship and Master faced one another for a tense moment. "Today is not that time. We are victorious, and you are irrelevant." The ship turned and floated serenely away.

"Yeah, tomorrow doesn't look too good for you, either!" Macao shouted. Jellal watched in relief as Macao and Reedus leaned on one another, grinning up at the fleeing vessel. Whoops of triumph rose from the streets and alleys. The boy exhaled, letting the relief wash over him.

Exhaustion quickly followed. Everything spun, tilted, and went black.


	18. Vol. 4, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, East Forest, X776: Erza

Erza sat as close to Jellal's bed as the old forest witch allowed, hardly daring to blink. He breathed the way he always did when asleep, soft and shallow, as if he didn't dare make too much noise. Her hands were clasped in her lap, and she fought not to tremble. A glance to the left told Erza that the other Tower escapees were still peering through a window, watching Jellal with as much worry on their faces as Erza was feeling. "Well, Porlyusica?" Makarov asked from a tiny chair, his voice a weary rasp. "How far did the boy push himself?" He was the only other person in the room; only the guild master and Erza were willing to risk the healer's wrath after she'd treated everyone else.

"About as much as you used to all the time," Porlyusica snapped, fingers twitching towards one of her several brooms. Makarov swallowed and went silent. She finished mixing her potion – a dark green concoction that looked to Erza like it tasted awful – then walked over to Jellal. Without the least preparation, she pinched his nose, waited for his mouth to open, and poured the medicine right down his throat.

Erza's gasp was lost in Jellal's spluttering return to wakefulness. The blue-haired wizard shifted, but Porlyusica let go of his nose and put her hand on his chest. She poured the remaining liquid down his throat, then slapped him atop the head. Erza gasped, outraged for an instant, while Porlyusica turned and walked back to her counter. Jellal coughed and shuddered. "Blech," he blurted, but then he smiled. "Almost as bad as Tower food."

Porlyusica froze at that, eyes widening. Erza watched as the old healer trembled, grimacing, one hand forming a fist. "It restores Magic Power. I reserve it for when a Fairy Tail wizard has been particularly stupid."

With a grunt, Jellal put a hand on the bed and tried to sit up. Erza rushed over and held him back down. "Jellal! Lady Porlyusica worked hard to help you!"

"I just wanted to thank her properly," he explained, letting Erza push him back to bed, "and apologize for being a bother."

"Don't apologize," the healer snapped. "Instead, don't be a foolish human again, constantly getting your weak and frail bodies damaged." Erza blinked. _So the healer witch isn't human?_

Jellal, meanwhile, smiled again and looked at Master Makarov. "I think the correct response now is, '9,723.' That is the number of people who live in Saori Town," he explained. "Could any wizard who walks in the light not try to protect them?"

Makarov and Porlyusica both stared at Jellal. "Tch," the witch replied, looking away. "So another brave fool has chosen to follow in your footsteps, Makarov."

"No," Makarov replied. "It is Rob's example he follows. I am the one who hopes to be worthy of them." Jellal looked away, staring at the ceiling and blushing so hard his birthmark nearly vanished into it. "Please take care of him."

"When do I not?" Porlyusica sighed. "You must rest, boy. You've caused a great many to worry about you."

Jellal nodded. "Erza. Master. I apologize to you as well. I didn't mean to worry anyone."

Erza bit her lip, but Master Makarov chuckled again. "It is a parent's role to worry about his children. Don't let me concern you, Jellal. I've been doing this a long time." Tears trickled down Jellal's cheeks. "If you're strong enough to speak, though, could you satisfy an old man's curiosity? Why did you pray to Mavis?" Porlyusica turned at that, one eyebrow rising.

"My mom taught me about the gods of her – our people, from before the Church of Zentopia," Jellal explained. "Most of them have been forgotten. Mavis was the Goddess of Magic. She was always my favorite."

"I see," Makarov chuckled. Porlyusica shook her head. "Thank you, my boy. We can talk about them more when you're better." He hopped to his feet and walked toward the exit.

"Mister Conbolt and Mister Jonah...they're two of Fairy Tail's strongest wizards, aren't they?" Jellal asked in a soft voice. The Master stopped at the door and nodded. "That monster Zancrow beat them both, and a lot of other mages from Fairy Tail and the Rune Knights, too."

"All at once," Makarov admitted. "His power is not to be treated lightly."

"Erza and I held him at bay. I even defeated one of his guildmates." Jellal stared at the ceiling. "I'm going to be a very strong wizard one day, aren't I? Not as strong as Erza," he continued, and Erza ducked her head as heat flashed across it, "but powerful enough to fight dark mages." _You've always been stronger than me, Jellal..._

Makarov chuckled again. "You are already quite strong, my boy."

"Then I have to," Jellal explained. Erza sighed, but smiled even as she shook her head. _You wouldn't be Jellal if you didn't,_ she decided. "Fight them, I mean. Someone has to stop people like the Kin. The Rune Knights won't, and most other guilds can't." His smile returned, weak, but with a hint of the old Jellal to it. "Besides, I must find my own path in the world. That's the Fairy Tail way. Right?"

Porlyusica frowned as Makarov chuckled, the doctor folding her arms. "Right you are!" He grinned at Erza. The requip mage straightened in her chair. "Then it's a good thing that such a gifted astrological mage has an equally gifted knightly one to protect him, right, Erza?"

"Mm, mm," Erza agreed, nodding emphatically. Jellal's eyes widened, and he moved to sit up.

Though Erza felt no magic, Porlyusica was there before anyone could tell she'd moved. "That's enough out of you," she said, pouring another potion down his throat. Jellal gasped and gurgled again, then fell back, head sinking into the pillow. "Children should not be fighting monsters. You will rest, and then you will leave. I will have to put up with another human's presence for long enough as it is."

"M...Meredy," Jellal mumbled, eyes unfocused. _A sleeping potion,_ Erza realized. "Is she okay?"

Erza couldn't help a chuckle at that. _Jellal Fernandes, everyone's nii-san._ "She idolizes you," the redhead explained, "and I think she wants to be Ultear when she grows up. After she joins Fairy Tail and becomes an S-Class wizard, of course."

"Mmm. Good." Jellal sighed, and closed his eyes. Then he opened them again, and smiled at her. _That smile!_ Erza thought, eyes widening as a tiny sun lit in her heart. _That's Jellal's real smile! He's okay!_ Immediately, she took his hand. "Those Voices...do you think they're proud of us?" Erza nodded.

"You don't have to wonder," Lady Voice replied. "Of course we are. Now obey your doctor and sleep."

"Yes, ma'am," Jellal whispered. A few moments later, his breathing was soft and shallow again.

"Come, Erza," Makarov called from the now-open door. "He'll be fine, and Porlyusica won't thank you for being underfoot."

"You've got that right!" the healer snarled, broom raised and shaking. Erza gasped and fled to Master Makarov, who took the girl's hand as they ran from the healer's hut. "Now get lost, you annoying humans!"

"But you're human yourself!" Makarov called back. Porlyusica gasped, then threw her broom at them. Erza found herself laughing alongside the Master as they fled, grinning like mad folk at one another. _Jellal's free,_ she realized. _We're all free, now, and we never have to go back._


	19. Vol. 4, Ch. 4

Earthland-1, Worth Woodsea, X790: Meredy

"They're so _cute!"_ Meredy blurted. "I'm so glad we did this!"

Ultear hugged Meredy, and the warmth that surged through the young mage was better than all the comforts of their old airship. That wonderful feeling faded, though, when she saw Jellal watching the orb with that almost-smile he'd get when he was trying not to cry. "Oh come on, Jellal, are you really going to look at that and not be happy?"

"I just hope we can keep things going well," he replied, watching X776 go by in a blur of training and missions. "If we intervene too much, Grimoire Heart might realize what we're doing and come after us in this world."

"If Master Hades is so foolish, we can deal with them," Ultear said, releasing Meredy and shaking her head at their guild master. "I am more concerned about their Ultear's replacement in their Seven Kin. Who is hiding behind Zalty in that world?"

"Another genius, clearly," Jellal replied, "though her talents seem to lie in different areas from yours." He rubbed his chin. "She seems familiar, somehow. I can't quite place it, but there's something about her..." Jellal shook his head and shrugged. "Later. Natsu's the next important thing in the guild's history."

"Not everything has to be 'important,' Jellal," Ultear replied, freezing the image in the orb. His young counterpart was charring a stick in a candle, while Levy and Gray looked on in confusion. "What's little you doing here?"

"He still has some Tower mindset left," Jellal explained. "When I wanted to write or draw something for...others, I'd find something thin I could burn, then use the charred end to mark things in a manner that was easy to wipe away. Our clothes were always dirty, so the guards didn't notice."

"Mom?" Meredy called, and Ultear hid her face behind a curtain of violet hair. "Is it bad that I kinda want to beat up that whole cult?"

"Not in the least, Meredy," Ultear agreed, then waved her hand over the orb.


	20. Vol. 5, Ch. 1

**Volume Five: Strawberries and Chalk**

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X776: Jellal

"What are you doing, Jellal?" Gray asked, one eyebrow considerably higher than the other.

"Making notes," Jellal explained. Then he checked the end of the stick with his thumb and forefinger. _That should be cool enough,_  he decided, then drew a crude map of the area around Rosemary Village on the table.

"Why not use a paper and pencil?" Levy asked.

Jellal shrugged. "Maybe later. I'm still not used to that stuff, and I don't want to waste anything until I've got a better idea where we're going." He concentrated on the northern shoreline. _That's where we've got the most sightings,_ he thought, focused on the search for Simon's little sister. _A little girl, on her own for two years,_ Jellal worried. _We've got to find her._

"We're not about to run out of paper, Blue," Gray retorted, arms crossed.

Jellal looked up – and sighed. "Gray, your clothes," he warned. Gray yelped and ran off. The cosmic mage shrugged and returned to his map.

"Light pen?" Levy asked, holding up her prized possession.

"Those things are expensive," Jellal said, grimacing. "It must be great to draw stuff in the air, but you could feed someone for a week with that much money."

"No one who money can help is going hungry in Fiore, Jellal," Levy replied. _I can hear her being patient,_ he thought, but was too focused on making notes to decide how to respond. "Can't you at least use chalk?"

Jellal looked up. "What's chalk?" he asked.

Levy blinked at him. "Chalk? The white things teachers use on boards in school?"

Jellal blushed and ducked his head. "I never went to school," he admitted, redoubling his efforts to concentrate on his crude map.

"I'll be right back," Levy said brightly, bouncing off the bench and running downstairs. A fully-clothed Gray came back with a huff, grabbing his book and retreating. Jellal rubbed his eyes and tried to put clues together. _Nothing. Poor Kagura's a very small needle, and there are a lot of haystacks to go through._ He dropped back to the bench and sighed. _Why do people hide needles in haystacks, anyway? Is it some kind of weird magic ritual? I don't get it._

"Still trying to find Kagura?" Erza asked, peering at his map.

Jellal shrugged. "Unsuccessfully," he sighed. "How do you move so quietly in armor?"

Erza's smile lit a tiny star in Jellal's chest. "I earned enough money from Saori Town to buy a suit of Heart Kreuz armor." She rapped the chest plate with her knuckles. "Master said they have the best reputation with requip mages. Her smile faded, and she cocked her head as she regarded Jellal curiously. "What are you going to do with your share?"

"Oh, I gave it to Saori," he explained. Erza blinked. "A lot of people lost their homes, and I don't need money for my magic."

"What about food? Clothes? Rent?" Erza shook her head. "Jellal, you need money too."

"I didn't donate Fairy Tail's cut!" he objected. "I can get by on what guild members eat, and the store room's not too bad if you arrange the cushions just right." Erza facepalmed. "What?"

"Chalk!" Levy called, running back in. Jellal blinked at the three white cylinders she put in front of him. "Give it a try."

Jellal wiped the northern shore area away with the rag he'd appropriated for the purpose, then started drawing it anew with the chalk piece. His eyes widened when crisp, clear lines of white appeared in place of the ragged ash he'd gotten used to. "How?" he whispered. "Some kind of alchemy?"

"It's a natural mineral, actually," Levy explained, while Jellal paid rapt attention. "It leaves a fine powder that marks almost anything, but is easy to wipe off. There's a few kinds, and you can get it in almost any color, but schools mostly use the white stuff."

"So this is chalk..." Jellal looked down at the pieces, stroking one with the tips of his fingers. As promised, it left just a touch of white against them. "Does it have magical uses?"

"Well, you could draw seals and symbols with them," Levy said, "but the only natural use chalk has for magic is in making wards." She shrugged. "An unbroken circle can keep certain kinds of magic out. At least, that's what Master Makarov says. Most people don't need to worry about things like that."

"Seals and wards," Jellal whispered. Then he shook his head and picked up the three pieces of chalk. "Thank you very much, Levy," he said, holding them out with both hands and bowing. Levy yelped while Erza chuckled. "I will purchase my own immediately after my next mission."

"Th-they're not expensive," Levy blurted, waving her hands almost desperately. "You can keep them, really!"

Jellal looked back up, eyes wide. "R-really?" He looked down at the pieces of chalk in amazement. "Something this extraordinary is so common in Fiore?"

"Oh, Jellal," Erza sighed, hugging the boy. Jellal winced when his head landed on her chestplate with a clank, but he managed not to yelp. "Chalk is common everywhere. If you are truly concerned about it, I will repay Levy on your behalf."

"That's not necessary, honest!" Levy replied quickly, now waving her hands at Erza. "It's no trouble at all!" She smiled, hands landing behind her back. "Besides, you and Simon are Fairy Tail wizards. If a few pieces of chalk might bring back this Kagura – Simon's sister and your friend – how could I not help?"

Erza's lip quivered, and she released Jellal. "Oh, Levy!" the warrior cried, and hugged the blue-haired scholar.

"Ow," Levy blurted, and Jellal covered his eyes. He tucked the pieces of chalk into his jacket pocket with his free hand, then peeked out. _Huh?_ Erza had released Levy, who was rubbing her head and grimacing. His fellow escapee, meanwhile, had locked her gaze on someone who'd just entered. Slowly, she licked her lips. _Oh dear,_ Jellal realized, following Erza's eyes.

He spotted Miss Ur, Gray and Ultear trailing behind her, a bowl of fresh strawberries in the older woman's arms. "Oi! Fresh meat for the huntress!" Ur laughed. (Mercifully, Gray had found all his clothing.) The S-Class wizard came over to their table and placed the bowl over Jellal's crude map. Erza leaped to the bench, standing on it, and immediately claimed the largest fruit in the bowl. With an odd mix of ravenous reverence, she devoured it in three bites. "I have to admit, Scarlet, after discovering your love of sweets, I never expected you to be a strawberry addict."

"Salt in cookies," Jellal explained. Ur blinked. Erza went to work on her next victim from the bowl. "Erza says the bitter of the strawberry makes the sweetness stand out more. Like salt in cookies."

"Cuk'ees wuss J'llil's idee," Erza said, still chewing.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, dear," Ur admonished, smiling. Erza swallowed and mumbled something Jellal was sure was an apology. _Though I couldn't say if she was apologizing to Miss Ur or the strawberry,_ he mused, smiling as well. "Does that apply to foods with strawberry in them, by any chance?"

Erza nodded, taking another piece of fruit. "Yes, Miss Ur," she replied. "Strawberry pastries are great for breakfast, and strawberry milkshakes..." she gazed upward, eyes wide and gleaming.

"What about strawberry cake?" Ultear chuckled.

Jellal leaped back just in time to get out of Erza's path. She darted to the violet-haired space mage, gripping the older girl's shoulders with a manic look in her eyes. "Strawberry _what?"_ she gasped. _I wonder if that's what treasure hunter guilds are like,_ he thought, remembering the last mystery novel Levy had loaned him.

"S-strawberry cake?" Ultear whispered, shaking just a bit. "That's okay, r-right, Erza?"

Erza let Ultear go, taking a shuddering step back. "It comes – it comes in _cakes,"_ she whispered. Before he could evade again, Jellal found his hand in Erza's iron-vice grip. "Come," she ordered, and used to being towed along when Erza was on a mission, Jellal followed obediently.

They went on like this for several minutes, before Erza finally stopped at a crossroads in the middle of Magnolia. She looked around, going so far as to release Jellal. "Erza, do you know where the nearest bakery is?" he asked.

Erza looked away, gloom radiating off her in waves. "No," she admitted in a whisper. Jellal couldn't help a smile at that. _You always overdo it,_ he thought, _but you wouldn't be Erza if you didn't._ He looked around, eyes skipping across stalls until he found a newspaper vendor.

"Excuse me, sir," he said, walking over, "but could you tell us where the nearest bakery is?"

The older man behind all the papers peered down at the short boy. "'We,' kid?"

"Well, yes–" Jellal began, stopping when he saw Erza hiding behind a lamppost across the street. His eyes bulged, but only after she gave him a thumbs-up from behind her improbable hiding place did his jaw drop as well. "–er, my friend's a bit shy." Fortunately, the vendor gave him directions, but only after chuckling for a moment.

It didn't take long for Jellal's hand to return to Erza's inescapable grasp, and with directions to follow, she was even more unstoppable. It was only a few minutes later that they reached her target. When they arrived, Jellal found his hand free again, and he waited for Erza to charge in.

When he saw her gazing up at the cakes in the window, eyes wide and lips trembling, Jellal guessed he was in for a long wait. True to berry-loving form, her eyes were locked onto an enormous white cake topped with a ring of bright red strawberries in perfect ripeness. Twice, one of Erza's legs twitched, but both times she froze again, unmoving. "Erza," he whispered.

She jumped anyway, landing with her arms warding him off until Erza recognized him. "I...I'm just deciding what to buy," she insisted.

"Do you have enough money for the cake?" Jellal asked. Erza quickly rummaged through her pockets. She counted it twice. _Just fifty Jewels short,_ Jellal realized, and his friend's head dropped in defeat. _And I don't have a single Jewel to my name. Erza was right. I should have at least kept a little..._

As one, they looked up, then tilted their heads at the sounds coming from behind the bakery. _An argument?_ Jellal wondered, heading closer. Erza was already ahead of him. "I studied with Master Jose himself. You don't just blow off Phantom Lord, old woman," snarled a man with a voice like a bent trumpet.

"I paid you for your services," a woman replied, "and I have no desire for further 'assistance' from your guild." Erza and Jellal looked at each other, then hurried towards the argument.

They found the baker, a gently plump woman in a flour-dusted white apron, confronting an orange-haired man in a ragged shirt, baggy pants, and a purple Phantom Lord hat. Their eyes were locked, and the baker didn't give an inch, even though the wizard had Shade magic swirling around one hand and the woman was "armed" with a rolling pin.

"Ma'am!" Erza blurted. Baker and Phantom mage both turned to look at the armored girl, who bowed. "Could we be of assistance, perhaps?"

The Shade wizard snorted. "Beat it, small fry," he hissed, "before you get stepped on."

The baker, however, smiled broadly. "Why, that would be most welcome, young lady. I've been having trouble with a lemon shipment, and would be happy to hire two talented young mages to help get it to my shop."

"O-of course, Miss," Erza replied, though Jellal could sense the sour expression forming on his best friend's face. _Let me guess, "why did it have to be lemon," right?_ Jellal thought, hiding a grin beneath his own bow. "From where do you receive your...yellow fruit?"

The baker blinked, then chuckled. "Sciliora Groves, just outside East Forest," she explained. "Thank you for your help, young wizards. I don't know if I have enough Jewels to cover a service like this, but if you'd be willing to accept trade–"

"Perhaps the strawberry cake in the window?" Erza blurted. She blinked and looked away suddenly. "I-if that's all right, of course..." The baker again laughed and nodded. "C-come along, Jellal. We must aid this baker. Woman. Person."

(((ANNOTATION: tip o' the Elevenses to Pippin Took for Erza's stammering)))

"Yes, Erza," Jellal said, following as Erza headed east. The Phantom mage watched them go through narrowed eyes. "I think that wizard is going to be a problem."

"I agree that he will try to be one," Erza conceded, one hand on the hilt of her sword. "Can your magic move a cart filled with fruit?"

Jellal considered the problem. "That depends on the size of the cart," he said at last, "but based on the amount of food in the bakery, it shouldn't be a problem." Erza nodded and led them onward.

Mercifully, the transaction was a simple one. The bakery had already paid for the lemon delivery. The lemons were in a large sack, not even worth bothering with a cart for. Jellal used his newly-discovered chalk to draw a simple levitation symbol on the sack, then beckoned it to follow with a gesture. With that, they headed back for town, the sack following like an obedient dog.

...Jellal had to spend over a minute after that putting Tower darkhounds out of his mind. Fortunately, Erza smiled at him, and the cruel memory vanished like a popping soap bubble.

It was just as Magnolia started to come back into view that the first apparition came at them. It was a ragged thing of shadows and scraps, glowing red eyes locked onto the sack as it emerged from the earth. Jellal yelped at the sight, stopping, but Erza merely grimaced. "She wouldn't have needed wizards if the job was easy," she sighed, then drew her weapon. "Trinity Sword!" A single slash tore the ghost-thing apart.

"Then that was too easy," Jellal muttered. Erza nodded, and the second wraith arose two seconds later to prove them right. That one was likewise easy to dispatch, as were the three that followed, but they'd been slowed to a crawl by the battle. Of course, that was when two wraiths appeared at once. "Erza, we can't keep on like this. Those things probably won't hurt us, but our mission–"

"Find a way to protect the fruit," Erza insisted. "I will deal with the ghosts." With that, Erza leaped into the air. So did Jellal's heart, nearly. _Okay, think. I need a ward. Something quick, simple –_

Almost of its own accord, the star mage's hand went to his jacket. _Some prodigy I am,_ he thought, reaching into the pocket and pulling out a piece of chalk. He lowered the sack to the ground, then drew a circle in the dirt around both it and him. "Erza, let one of the ghosts attack me."

"What?" Erza blurted, turning. She looked from Jellal to the circle and back. "Very well..." She concentrated on one of the ghosts, quickly cutting it down, while the other flew at Jellal. He prepared a basic Starburst spell, just in case, but it proved unnecessary when the wraith slammed into the intangible barrier of the ward. "Oh!" his knight gasped.

"Can you come into the circle without breaking the chalk line?" Jellal called, firing his Starburst at the wraith. It exploded into ethernano. Erza nodded and retreated, doing a graceful backflip into the center of the circle. Once she was inside, Jellal concentrated. _Good thing it was a dirt path,_ he thought. _This would have been a lot harder on cobblestones or grass._ He lifted the entire chalk circle with telekinesis, holding it up with a thin layer of ground he'd gripped with mental force. Twin wraiths that had replaced the previous ones screamed and vanished. "Now we have a nice, quiet walk," Jellal noted, picking up the lemon sack. Erza laughed, and the world was right.

The Phantom mage glared at them as they made their delivery. "My, my, Fairy Tail does live up to its reputation," the baker said, smiling down at the children. "I believe that a strawberry cake is in order." She waved for them to enter. Erza ducked under the circle and raced in.

"You're gonna regret this, little boy blue," the Shade wizard snarled, stalking away. Jellal flinched, then shook his head, let the circle drop, and brought the lemons into the bakery. The nice baker woman was already removing the strawberry cake from the window, and Erza was sitting at one of the tables, back straight and eyes wide with anticipation.

"I'll just put these in back, ma'am," Jellal called over. The baker paused, then smiled at him and nodded. _Never use "ma'am" for a woman unless you've seen that she finds it acceptable,_ he reminded himself, Master Makarov's admonition flickering to the surface of his memory. Jellal deposited the lemons in the box labeled for them, noting the cooling magic within, then rushed out to rejoin Erza. _Just in time,_ he realized, Erza still cutting her first slice. He stood and watched, hardly daring to move, as she took her first bite.

Her eyes went wide. The fork dropped to the plate. Erza's lips parted just a fraction, then closed as she resumed chewing. "How is such food possible?" she whispered, licking her lips. Then she reclaimed her fork, glared at the slice as though it were an enemy, and attacked without mercy. Jellal's eyes went round and huge as Erza destroyed most of the cake in a few minutes.

All that remained when she was done was a single slice. As for the rest, Erza had not left so much as a crumb behind from her conquest. With an incongruous, delicate air, she dabbed at her mouth with a napkin, then scanned the room. "Jellal!" she gasped, then turned pink and looked away. "I-I saved you a piece," she muttered, napkin dropped and hands folded against her knees. "It – I suppose it is not a proper share. Please accept my apologies." She bowed her head, but her eyes peeked out, deep brown bordering on purple, pleading for absolution.

Jellal smiled for her, and the pink of her cheeks deepened to red. "I was happy to see you enjoy the reward. Thank you for saving me a slice." He sat, cut the remaining piece in two, and offered her half. While she mumbled a half-hearted objection, he took a bite. _It really is quite good,_ he thought, smile growing as Erza haltingly carved away a portion of the slice with her fork. _Watching her enjoy it was better._ His hand went back to the pocket where his own newfound treasure sat. _This chalk is truly amazing,_ he thought, glancing down briefly. When he looked back up, Erza was resuming her assault on the cake. It was an effort not to laugh. _I'd better finish my portion,_ he decided, _before she's done with hers and hungers for mine as well._


	21. Vol. 6, Ch. 1

**Volume Six: Dragons, Demons, and Other Family Members**

Earthland-2, Northern Seven, X776: Erza

_I don't remember this area,_ Erza realized, staring around in disbelief. _Not any of it._ While it was true that they were still many miles from the former site of Rosemary Village, Erza Scarlet was still overwhelmed with disbelief. _How is it not even a little familiar?_ The hills in the distance, the broad green fields slowly turning brown, trees in the distance starting to change color, the village near them bustling even with its obviously small community – Erza recognized none of it.

Behind her, Ultear's gateway vanished. They were a large group, with all of Erza's Tower family once again accompanied by Miss Ur and her two children. Gray and Ultear scanned the area, the boy nodding gravely to Ur, while Ultear smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. The powerful ice wizard rolled her eyes at the duo and chuckled. "Clear," Ur said, looking at Erza.

Jellal unrolled his map, much more detailed than the chalk ones he'd spent the last several days drawing and erasing, and began muttering to himself. _I'm glad Levy finally convinced him to use some paper,_ Erza thought, _but why does he spend so much time with her?_ The small knight-mage's eyes widened, and she fought off a blush while she looked over the rest of her team. _N-not that it's a problem or anything._

Simon, of course, was looking around and fidgeting. He examined the village minutely, but also the fields around them. Wally had put on what looked like sunglasses, but the same enchantment that helped him target his Polygon Magic would let him scan for other things. Millianna was hunched down, sniffing at the grass, her conjured tail curling back and forth. _She's not going to smell like "girl Simon," Milli,_ Erza thought, but she couldn't help be moved by Millianna's determination to help. Shou was flipping through his deck, frowning at each card he saw. Unlike his combat spells, Shou's divination magic was nowhere near Cana's league, but he tried all the same. Erza gripped her sword hilt and gritted her teeth, glaring around them. _I feel so useless._

"Guidance of the North Star: Polaris Dial," Jellal chanted gently, holding out his hand. A tiny yellow-gold star formed above his palm, an even smaller blue one orbiting it. "Kagura Mikazuchi." The pinpoint blue light floated towards town, though it moved slowly and flickered as it went.

Wally raised an eyebrow at the spellwork. "Is that even working, nii-san?" he asked.

"We'll know soon enough," Jellal replied, eyes fixed on the star in his hand. "I just need someone to make sure I don't run into a wall or anything." Erza strode to his side, a hand on his shoulder. The blue-haired genius nodded. "The rest of you can keep searching. No sense putting all our hopes on one new spell." With that, he walked towards the town, Erza at his side. Ur chuckled, and Erza's face grew warmer yet. _Why is this happening? It didn't used to be like this._ She remembered his hands in her hair, the fearless boy right by her side, giving Erza her new name. _Not much, anyway._

They strode through the field, purple wildflowers contrasting with the fading green of the grass. "Your eyes," Jellal muttered, his own briefly darting from the star.

"Hm?" Erza nearly stopped, but Jellal kept moving, so she stayed at his side.

"In the right light, they're purple. Almost violet." He chuckled. "It's a good thing I noticed your hair first. 'Erza Violet' wouldn't suit you, no matter how beautiful your eyes are." Erza moved to stand directly behind him, sure that her face was as scarlet as her hair. _Y-you shouldn't say such things,_ Erza thought, but remained silent.

Mercifully, the town was closer than it first seemed, standing at the base of the hill they crested. Within a few minutes, they were walking along the streets. Erza found that she did in fact have to occasionally stop Jellal from walking into a wall, vending machine, or even a pedestrian at one point. He frowned at the Polaris Dial spell and waved his free hand over it. A magic circle appeared over the yellow star, and its little blue companion brightened. "That way," he blurted, and the smaller star pivoted, directing them anew. Jellal marched on with increasing urgency, Erza keeping pace with grim determination. _Kagura. We will find you._

"Just hand over the sword, little girl!" a gruff male voice demanded. Jellal gasped, and the dial spell vanished.

"This 'sword' belonged to my mother," a younger voice replied, feminine and unrelenting. Jellal rushed forward, and Erza ran to keep up. "You will not take it."

Another young man chuckled. "Look, kid, you're cute and all, but you shouldn't have come into Ghoul Spirit turf. Hand over the blade and we'll let you leave."

"Hmph." Erza recognized the sound of a habaki breaking its bond with its scabbard. _She hasn't drawn yet,_ the knight-mage thought, _but she's ready to._ "Apologize," the girl said, voice even and unwavering, "and I will let _you_ leave."

The men laughed. _Three of them,_ Erza thought, jaw set. _They will regret this!_ "You hear that, boys? She'll let us leave!" There was a pause, feet shifting in preparation. _Jellal, hurry!_ Erza demanded, her partner slowing as he threaded the town's back alleys. "Take it."

"Gravity Change!" the girl chanted. Jellal and Erza rounded the corner to find a pretty girl in a white uniform. She had hazel eyes lighter than Jellal's, a wakizashi at her hip –

– and shimmering violet hair, exactly as Simon had described –

– and Erza sucked in a breath when she realized she _remembered_ her. "Kagura?" she whispered.

"Kagura Mikazuchi," Jellal agreed, smiling that pure, reassuring smile that had sheltered a broken little girl two years before. "It's good to finally meet you." He glanced down, chuckling at the whimpering, prone trio of gang members, pressed against the cobblestones by the child's formidable magic. Only the largest could do more than twitch, and even then, he barely kept his shaved head off the ground. "Though I doubt these criminals would agree."

Kagura blinked at them, hand still on her sword hilt. _Good instincts,_ Erza approved, nodding to herself. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

The darkness boiled and erupted from where Jellal's and Erza's shadows intermingled. Kagura hissed in a breath and stepped back, moving to draw her blade, but froze. Erza turned to find Simon there, as she expected, eyes wide and barely believing. "Kagura? Is...is it really you?" he whispered, reaching toward her.

Kagura's eyes widened to a size that seemed impossible. "Simon," she gasped. The girl stood there for a moment, her trembling just barely noticeable. "Nii-san." Then she carefully pressed the hilt to the scabbard, and two seconds later, ran into Simon's arms. Erza couldn't help a smile as the pair cried silently. She glanced briefly at Jellal, who nodded and turned his attention to the thugs still pinned to the ground. _Her spell's fading,_ Erza noted, _though it lasted quite a while for one so young._ She watched over the siblings while Jellal observed the slowly rising criminals.

"You...dare..." the shaved-head goon managed to get up to his hands and knees. "I'm...going to–"

"Oi, oi," Jellal objected, echoing Gray's favorite interjection, "don't interrupt a family reunion." Shaved-head managed to glare at Jellal, a small magic seal forming around his right hand. Jellal sighed, his knife-hand chop almost gentle as he knocked the man out. Erza gaped at her friend, not surprised that he had the skill for such a thing, but that he'd been willing to use it. Jellal met her gaze, then turned completely around. "I-it'll make the guards' job easier," he muttered.

Before they could say anything else, Ultear's Arc of Space opened a gate behind them, and their team poured out. "I told you nii-san would find her!" Shou exulted. Millianna pouted and rubbed her knuckles against her lips. Erza chuckled. _At least she isn't licking them._

Kagura finally detached herself from her brother and looked around, eyes widening again _(though not nearly to the same level,_ Erza noted). "Nii-san? Is that Erza? Are these other people your friends?"

Simon put an arm around her shoulders. "They're more than that, imoto. They're our family."


	22. Vol. 6, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X777: Ultear

_This has been the best. Year. Ever!_ Ultear's smile beamed across the guild hall, and she couldn't help but laugh at her little brother fighting the new kid. _Getting along like fire and ice, no shock,_ she thought, heading for the readers' table. There, Jellal and Levy were nose-deep in more books on magical theory, while Kagura read a book on enchantment. _It's been weeks since he's needed to retreat to his room._ She glanced at Erza, who was watching the blue-haired boy out of the corners of her eyes. Briefly, Ultear considered doing something about the two. _They're still kids,_ she decided, heading for the table herself. "So! How are my favorite bluenettes?" she asked, plopping herself down next to the boy genius.

"That's not even a word!" Levy objected, pouting at Ultear in what the older girl figured was an attempt to glare. The space mage indulged in a brief chuckle. "Do you want us to call you a 'vionette?'"

Ultear leaned back and grinned. "That's not bad, actually." Levy's jaw dropped, her eyes going round and nearly blank.

"You'll only encourage her, Levy," Jellal pointed out, smiling as he returned to his book. Ultear leaned over. _Advanced Sky Magic?_ she wondered. "Do you want something, Ultear?"

"I'm just checking in. Honestly, Jellal, at least Levy has her two new friends." She nodded to the brilliant script mage, still smiling. "Team Shadow Gear's really been making a name for itself lately. In a few years, everyone's going to want to hire you."

"What do you mean 'in a few years,' anyway?" Levy asked, her pout taking over completely. "Don't think you can just butter me up and I'll forget your teasing."

"Come on, Levy, it wasn't that bad," Jellal replied, shaking his head and somehow still reading his book. "Anyway, I'm fine teaming up with my family when they need me."

Ultear's smile vanished, and she dropped her chin into her hands.. "Urh. You need to have some _fun,_ Jellal! Tear up the shooting galleries with Wally, go shopping with Milli, fly around with Erza, something! Haven't you ever heard of morale?" She huffed. "You're even more into that one that usual, so I'll let you finish, but then you are taking a Zen-damned break!"

"Ultear! Language!" Erza called over. Ultear leaped back, eyes wide, but Erza hadn't moved from the bar. Indeed, she wasn't even looking at them any more, just drinking Enno's latest juice concoction. _I wonder what's in there, besides strawberry,_ she thought, exhaling in relief.

"Sky Devil Slayer Magic," Jellal explained, regaining Ultear's attention. _What the...?_ He tapped the book's open pages with the tips of his fingers. "I've been trying to help Gray, but even after learning the basics of the magic for all four elements and a few advanced circles from Father Lapointe, I haven't been able to manage any Ice-Make magic greater than slushy snowballs." He sighed and shrugged. "Sky Magic is closest to the heavens. It harnesses the wind and the storm, even brushing against the stars themselves."

"Yeah, Sparkly, you've gotten pretty good with that stuff," Natsu called over, his fight with Gray having paused. "When are you gonna fight me, anyway?"

Gray laughed. "Like you could beat Jellal, flame breath."

Natsu slammed his head into Gray's, but her stubborn brother merely pushed back and glared. "What'd you say, ice princess?!"

"Jellal's as strong as Erza," Gray snarled back. "You can't even beat _me."_

"The heck I can't!" Natsu roared. "And no one's as strong as Erza, except Gildarts and the Master!" Laxus crackled with lightning, glaring at the fiery boy, but said nothing.

"That's true," Jellal agreed, Ultear facepalmed, while Erza's sigh was explosive.

Gray backed away from Natsu, grinning at the cosmic mage. "Oi, Jellal! Would you do me a favor and teach Natsu about brain over brawn?"

"I don't want to fight," Jellal whispered, trying to hide behind his book.

Natsu leaped onto the readers' table, eliciting squeaks from all four current residents. He pushed Jellal's book down and grinned that ridiculous, enormous Natsu-grin at him. "Sure you do! How can you get stronger if you don't train?"

"I train," Jellal objected. "I even spar. I only _fight_ dark wizards."

Natsu stared deep into Jellal's eyes, smile gone, and Ultear was suddenly sure the rose-haired boy was looking for something. "What're you afraid of, Jellal?" Jellal gasped and recoiled, but Natsu wouldn't budge. Ultear blinked. _New kid's smarter than he looks,_  she realized. "It's not me, which is weird, because Erza and Gray are usually the only ones who aren't."

"The Master isn't afraid of you," Jellal shot back, and Ultear saw genuine heat in those dark hazel eyes.

Natsu laughed. "Sure he is! He's always talking about some kind of bills I conjure, and his whole body shakes!" Half the room grew beads of sweat at that response.

Jellal grimaced. "I guess that counts as fear," he admitted. "You're weird, Natsu, even for Fairy Tail." Then Jellal smiled _his_ smile, and Natsu sat heavily on the table, pouting with his arms crossed. "I like you."

"So fight me!" Natsu roared, and before anyone knew it, he'd punched the star mage.

Jellal flew off the bench, landing two feet away on the floor. The entire guild was staring, eyes bulging. Ultear prepared an Arc of Space: Evacuation to rescue Natsu before Erza could kill him. It looked like the "vionette" would have to move fast, too, if the knight's murderous glare was any indication. Jellal just rubbed his cheek, watching Natsu in confusion. "Please don't," the boy replied, and Natsu's jaw dropped.

"Ai-yaaah!" Natsu cried, tearing at his hair. "Why not?!"

Jellal sat up on the floor, fists trembling, eyes downcast. "I'm dangerous," he whispered.

Natsu's next roar turned into a plume of fire that nearly reached the ceiling. Gray gasped and created a sheath of ice above them. "WHY DO YOU THINK I WANT TO FIGHT YOU?!" Natsu bellowed, fists pumping in frustration at the sky. "I'm not some kind of bully! You only get strong fighting strong opponents!"

"Ohhh?" Erza finally said, and Natsu's eyes widened at the sight of the requip master looming over him. "You want a strong opponent, Natsu?" Ultear nearly giggled. _Okay, not saving him from that,_ she decided.

The Dragon Slayer swallowed, his body shaking. "Y-yeah..." Without another word, Erza grabbed the boy's scarf and dragged him out back. Gray chuckled – a diabolic sound if Ultear had ever heard one – and followed to watch the show. Several others joined him, a small crowd heading out to watch Natsu's "lesson." _Well, at least Dragneel's got the guts to take his lumps,_ Ultear thought, shaking her head at the spectacle. _He's going to fit in here perfectly._

Of course, Jellal chose that moment to act weird. His head shot up, and his whole body followed as he used Meteor to pull himself upright. "Siegrain? Is that you?" he asked, but with the rowdy nature of the guild, only Simon and Kagura noticed. The rest of the Tower survivors had gone to watch Erza pound Natsu silly. _Sillier. Whatever._

"Jellal?" Ultear called, but he held up a hand, and she relented immediately. Looking around, she saw the two kids heading for them. "Arc of Space: Communication," she chanted, and a tiny gate opened by her mom's jaw. "Mom, I think Jellal's been contacted telepathically."

"On my way," Ur replied, and Ultear closed the mini-gate. _We could use an S-Class wizard,_ Ultear thought, a tiny smile forming at the memory of her mother nearly waltzing through her trials.

"What's wrong, nee-san?" Kagura asked her, hand on sword hilt as she stood.

Simon looked Jellal over. "Jellal's acting weird." He grinned. "Even for him. Is this another chalk thing?"

"Someone's made mental contact with him," Ultear retorted, and Simon's grin vanished. "It might be Siegrain." Kagura frowned, arms folded. "I know, but Jellal loves his brother."

"It's not him," Jellal breathed, and all three gave him their attention. When Ur arrived, Ultear realized she'd made a fist, and forced her hand to relax. "It's – Ultear, can you open a Salvation gate to coordinates you get through Mental Magic?"

"I can try," Ultear said, gathering her Arc of Space. Jellal transmitted the location to her, a small plain in northern Fiore near the Worth Woodsea, and she held her arms high. "Arc of Space: Salvation!" she chanted, and the gate opened.

They all stared at the sight of a new Jellal-alike wearing a large backpack. He was firing bursts of magic from a simple circle-topped wood staff, protecting a small blue-haired girl who cowered behind him. The assailants were weird spider-people with bat-like wings that shot webbing from their fingers. Leading them was –

"Zalty," Jellal gasped in horror. Indeed, the dragon-woman was there, circling the two children and directing what must have been her latest creations. Nearly a dozen of the bizarre dragon-spiders were protecting her. _"Meteor!"_

"Jellal–" Ur began, but the boy was already gone, smashing through dragon-spiders with his most practiced spell. "– don't overdo it," Mom sighed, smiling wearily. "Such rambunctious boys I have." With that, she ran through the gate after him. Simon, Kagura, and Ultear herself all yelped in alarm, rushing to their aid.

On the other side of the gate, the battle had already descended into chaos. Their Jellal was Meteor-smashing through the monsters, while staff-Jellal was using some kind of reflective magic to turn their webbing on each other. Mom had already used Ice-Make lances and eagles on them, and was preparing an even more powerful spell. "Ice-Make: Rosenkrone!" she barked, and the familiar spiral of roses, thorns, and branches shot out, smashing through the artificial beasts.

_Time to show this sow what I'm made of,_ Ultear raged, snarling. "Arc Crash – ANNIHILATION!" she howled, and a tiny sphere of space-shattering Crash magic formed near Zalty. It exploded, taking all of Zalty's bodyguards with it and knocking her to the ground.

The Grimoire wizard staggered to her feet, artificial scales cracked all across her body. "Zen," she gasped, shuddering even after she was upright. "Yes, yes, Brain was right about you, space case," Zalty chuckled, staggering back. "You're too much for anyone except Master Hades."

Jellal was there before she could retreat two paces, hands locked onto her wrists. "Not this time, you monster," he hissed, Meteor's magic granting him enough strength to hold her. "The Rune Knights want to talk to you. I want to smash you into paste, but that's not my choice to make."

When Zalty laughed, Ultear knew they were in trouble. "Oh, Jelly baby," she mocked, shaking her head, "for someone so brilliant, you can be so impossibly _thick."_ Then she started ticking.

"She's – she's another fake – DOWN!" Jellal threw the puppet into the air, propelling her higher with his telekinesis and wind magic. Ultear, Simon, and Kagura all dropped. Simon pooled shadows beneath them, ready to cover or swallow them in a heartbeat.

"Ice-Make: Rose Garden!" Ur cried, and a skyscraper's worth of frozen rose bushes shot up to surround "Zalty." She pulled Jellal onto Simon's pool of darkness. "Ice-Make: Shield!"

"Dark Deflect!" Simon chanted, his voice cracking, but the shadows pooled over them, buttressing Ur's ice wall.

The explosion didn't disappoint. Mom's Rose Garden erupted into a blizzard, and both her shield and Simon's deflector groaned in the shockwave. Ultear gasped as one of Simon's arms dropped over her head, and she found the other over Kagura's. The air screamed and the earth shook.

Then, all at once, it was over. The field around them was barren for over fifty meters in every direction, and there was slowly melting snow on the trees in late summer, but otherwise it was a peaceful afternoon in north Fiore.

The blue-haired girl peered out from behind staff-Jellal. "Is – is it over?" She gaped at the Fairy Tail Jellal. "Jellal, there's another you!"

Staff-Jellal smiled gently. "I know, Wendy. Sleep." He waved his staff over her head, and Wendy's eyes unfocused. In seconds, she was asleep in his free arm. His smile vanished. "I'm sorry to bring you into this, Jellal, but I couldn't let that wizard take this child."

"Of course not." Their Jellal smiled back at his doppelganger. "Why don't you tell us what's going on? I'm sure we can help."

"Not today," staff-Jellal replied, looking away. "I need to go. There's a settlement down there. We can leave Wendy with them for now, and I can do what I came here for."

The rumble deep in Simon's throat got Ultear's attention. _Oh, he's truly annoyed,_ she decided. "If you're leaving her, Fairy Tail can take Wendy in," the Darkness mage pointed out.

Staff-Jellal snorted. "Your guild is too rowdy for Wendy. Besides, Natsu would be a terrible influence at her age."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Kagura asked, eyebrow raised, hand still on sword hilt. Ultear dimly noted the crushed and slashed dragon-spiders. _She...she never drew her sword,_ the space mage realized.

Their Jellal gasped, and Ultear realized his Air Magic was swirling around him. "She's a Dragon Slayer. A _Sky_ Dragon Slayer. Mavis and Chronos," he breathed. His counterpart glared, but Jellal nodded in response. _Yep, he's a true Fairy Tail wizard now – he's started making no sense at all,_ Ultear thought. "She needs a family, but don't worry. We'll keep her secret," he continued, "and safe." Ultear blinked. _Or maybe he is making sense._

"Come on, then," staff-Jellal muttered, waving for them to follow. Their Jellal moved to pick up Wendy, but Ur already had the girl in her arms. Thus did they become a strange train of figures heading into the valley, where there was indeed a village – an abandoned one. "What?" their guide whispered. "Impossible. I know I felt..."

"I felt it too," Kagura replied. "Excuse me? Is there anyone here?"

"OI!" Ultear shouted, earning glares from Kagura and staff-Jellal. "We've got a little girl here! She needs help! You gonna show yourselves, or what?"

At that, an old man barely taller than Master Makarov emerged with a sigh. He wore an odd feathered headband unlike anything Ultear had seen before. "You children are loud enough to wake the dead, nabura," he grumbled. Then his expression softened, and he waddled over to Wendy. "Oh, dear." He gave in to another sigh, this one far deeper. "Come along, then," he conceded, waving for them to follow. This they did, and the old man led them to a cat's head building. "My name is Roubaul. This is my home, or at least what left of it."

"Milli is going to love this place," Simon quipped, staring at the cat ears above. Kagura giggled, trying to hide it behind a sleeve before regaining control.

"You live here alone?" their Jellal asked. Ultear looked around while Roubaul nodded, suddenly realizing they were one Jellal short. "Hm." He looked around while Ultear cast out her Arc of Space to find their missing ally. _Nothing! How could he disappear so quickly? If he'd teleported, I would have felt it, and there's no way he used Speed Magic without anyone noticing,_ Ultear thought, fists clenching. "We felt your magic, Mr. Roubaul. Would you consider making your home a branch of Fairy Tail?"

Ultear whirled on Jellal, eyes wide. "EH?!" she blurted, gaping.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Ur replied, clapping her hands together. Ultear stared at her mother in sheer disbelief. _Am I going to end up the last sane person in Fairy Tail?_ Mom smiled at the old man. "This is a nice, quiet place, far from the bustle of Magnolia..." Ur chuckled. "...and the regular eruptions of violence at the guild hall. Many of our members would welcome a refuge from the boisterous atmosphere there."

"And you wouldn't have to be alone any more," Jellal added, smiling that blasted all-consuming smile of his.

Roubaul sighed, placing a gentle hand on Wendy's hair. After a long pause, he smiled faintly and nodded. "That should be an acceptable arrangement, if your guild master agrees. We're far from nearly any civilization, however. Won't this be a long way from your guild home?"

Jellal's smile broadened as he drew three pieces of chalk from his long coat, holding them between his fingers like throwing knives. They were scarlet, sapphire blue, and gold – his favorites, of course. "I've been studying Ultear's Arc of Space," he replied, tossing the pieces into the air. They orbited his forehead as he continued. "It should be a relatively simple matter to create a Script Gate to allow travel from one guild hall to the other."

"Except for the part where it's never been done before..." Simon muttered, staring at Jellal in disbelief.

Jellal blinked at Simon. "The theory is sound, and I've created a few short-range test gates already. I'll need Ultear's help for one this large and far, but it shouldn't be any trouble."

Kagura shook her head, the fond, exasperated grin a mirror for what Ultear was feeling herself. "Know-it-all," the gravity mage chuckled.

Roubaul looked from Wendy to Jellal, peering at each of them closely. All at once, he smiled. "That sounds like an excellent idea, nabura! I look forward to seeing your work." Ultear felt another drop of sweat form on her cheek. _What has that crazy bluenette gotten me into this time?_


	23. Vol. 6, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Branch – Cait Shelter, X777: Jellal

The Script Gate glittered golden in the far corner of the branch hall. Levy was wheeling more books in, her Solid Script: Wagon filled with them. Jellal smiled, watching her haul the copies to their impromptu library branch. She left them there, and the star mage began levitating them onto the new shelves with his telekinesis.

_It's no surprise that Levy and Ultear have moved in,_ he thought, _and there was no keeping Millianna away once she named the place, but I wouldn't have thought this to be the sort of place for Wally, Simon, or Kagura to stay._ Indeed, of all his old Tower friends, only Erza and Shou remained in the main guild hall on a regular basis. Warren sipped a drink at the new bar where Miss Ur was tending, while Reedus sat in a corner painting the scene, smiling all the while. Jellal's smile slipped. _I hope this wasn't a mistake. I didn't want Wendy or Mr. Roubaul to be alone, but I can't let this divide the guild._ He looked at the gateway, eyes focused. _No. With the Script Gate, this is no different from a separate wing._ The smile returned. _Just a quieter, less violence-prone one._

Gray stuck his head in through the gate. "Oi, Jellal, now will you fight Natsu?"

"No," Jellal insisted, holding his forehead. The ice mage grumbled something Jellal couldn't make out and returned to Magnolia. The cosmic wizard turned his attention to the Astrological Magic book he'd been studying. _True Heavenly Body Magic, huh, Siegrain? I can't imagine when I might use a spell as destructive as Sema, but Fairy Tail has some insane enemies._ With a shrug, he picked up the book and started going over the powerful spell again.

A few minutes later, Erza came in. "Jellal, Master Makarov wants to see you," she called. "We have a membership candidate who's arrived – masked."

Jellal stood, book forgotten. "And the master wants me?" he asked, fingers pressing through his untamable hair. "Did he say why?" Erza shook her head. _I am patient. I am calm. I am serene,_ Jellal told himself. It almost worked. He grimaced and headed towards his dearest friend, following her through the gate and into the rowdy main hall. _At least things haven't gotten worse here for our absence,_ he thought, noticing Natsu and Gray watch them go past. _Waiting for Erza to leave, so they can resume fighting,_ he guessed. It wasn't long before they were at Master Makarov's door. Erza stepped aside. Jellal blinked. "You're not coming in with me?" he wondered.

"Master's orders," Erza explained, "at the newcomer's request." Jellal frowned and entered.

There, he found the guild master standing beside his desk, a boy Jellal's size standing across from the older man. He wore a large cape covering a strange outfit, had bandages wrapped along his arms and legs, a tight hat that covered his hair, and a scarf concealing everything below his eyes. Jellal's eyes widened at the bits of red marking below the boy's right eye. "Jellal, this is Mystogan," Makarov explained, arms folded and eyes half-closed. "He wishes to join our guild, but wants to keep his appearance a secret. He said you would vouch for him."

"He did?" Jellal asked, one eyebrow raised.

_Please,_ Jellal heard, the boy's thoughts in his mind – in Jellal's own voice. _I must watch over Wendy...and I have to trust someone with the secret of Anima._ A flood of knowledge joined the words, of a world with flying cat-people led by a queen with the power of life and death, holder magic that had been fading for generations, and a frightening tyranny covering the world. A tyranny reigned over by Mystogan's own father. _My name is Jellal d'Edolas. My father is Faust, the King of Edolas, but I...am you. The Jellal of Edolas. Father threatens your entire world with Anima, but I believe we can stop him without sparking a war between realities._

"Jellal?" Makarov called, and the young mage shook his head quickly. "You look pale, my boy. Are you all right?"

"Yes," Jellal whispered, reaching out with his mind. Mystogan's sincerity echoed across the mental bond. "Mystogan has good reasons for keeping his secrets. Though," he added to his counterpart, "I urge you to share them with our master. He is strong, and you can trust him."

"Then I ask you, Master Makarov, that we keep what I am about to tell you within this room," Mystogan said. Makarov nodded, the Edolas prince removed his mask, and the guild master's eyes went nearly blank.

"Another one?!" Makarov blurted. Jellal couldn't help a giggle. _Here we go again,_ he thought.


	24. Vol. 6, Ch. 4

Earthland-2, Magnolia, X777: Ultear

"Pardon me, Miss Ultear," Simon called, "but have you seen Jellal?"

Ultear blinked at the young Darkness Mage. _Huh. Here I thought he'd be looking for Scarlet._ She shrugged. "For the hundredth time, it's just Ultear, and no, I haven't." Night had fallen in Magnolia, and the stars glittered in a beautiful array overhead. "You know him better than I do. Jellal should either be in the library or on the roof stargazing."

"First two places I checked," Simon agreed. "Erza's in Fairy Hills, so he's not with her. He's not at home, and there's no signs of a tremor, so he didn't have a serious nightmare."

Ultear blinked again. "I'm sorry, did you say tremor?"

"Yep. You never wondered why Jellal lives in a hut on the edge of town?" he asked.

"So does Natsu," Ultear pointed out.

Simon huffed and crossed his arms. "Natsu's crazier than the Master. Ultear, the walls of Jellal's house are on _hinges._ He designed it himself, so it won't collapse during a really bad dream. None of us like how drafty it is, even with the wards, but after he nearly wrecked a whole apartment building..."

Ultear's eyes bulged. Her breath caught in her throat. "You mean that's why – _that's_ why he lives out there all alone?" Trembling fists clenched at her hips. _When I find whoever came up with this Tower, I'm going to tear them apart with my_ fingers, _one pinch at a time._

"Yeah. That's why I'm looking for him. Jellal's been getting better, but he can still have pretty bad flashbacks when he's alone." Simon's head tilted a fraction. "You don't have any problems like that?"

"I have Mom," Ultear explained. Simon took a long breath, then nodded. She held out her hand. "Let me have a crack at it. Arc of Space: Location." A miniature Magnolia formed in the vortex above her palm. She grinned when a small blue dot appeared among the houses a block behind the Fairy Tail guild hall. "Gotcha." It wasn't a Unison Raid, but when their portal spells went to the same place, they pooled together into a harmonious whole. Simon gulped, and they walked through.

There, Jellal was glaring at a man about Dad's age. A green-haired boy – _Freed, Laxus' new friend,_ Ultear remembered – was sniffling behind the bluenette. The somehow-familiar adult was wearing almost all purple, aside from a golden mantle draped across his shoulders and a scarf-tie-thing around his neck. What stood out to the Space wizard, though, was his jet-black hair, with a villain's mustache and thick devil's beard. _Well, he certainly doesn't want anyone mistaking him for someone nice,_ she decided. It took Ultear a moment to realize that Jellal was only wearing his pajama bottoms. She took a breath to speak – then froze in horror.

Jellal's back was _all scars._ There were three thick, ugly ones where the skin was slightly raised, but the others could not be made out from one another amidst the crisscrossing marks. Where the rest of the boy's body was a rich, deep tan, his back looked like a crinkled sheet of paper. Ultear shuddered, horror and fury waging war inside her. "Ultear?" Simon whispered.

"This is none of your business, boy," the man insisted. "I'm looking for my son. Get out of the way before you get hurt."

"I know who you are, _Ivan,"_ Jellal hissed, and Simon gulped. Ultear gasped. _Ivan Dreyar,_ she realized, recognizing him at last. _The mustache changed, and the beard's new. That's why I didn't...._ Ultear remembered the day she and Mom had come back from an assignment to find the guild hall half-empty. _Laxus' dad. The Master's son. He was exiled, and a bunch of the grown-ups quit, back in our first year. What could Master Makarov's_ son _have done to get kicked out of the guild?_ The star mage held out his hand, and three pieces of chalk flew to hover above it. "One of us can tell Laxus you're here, and _he_ can decide whether or not he wants to see you."

Ivan scowled, making a fist. For an instant, dark magic flickered around him, and Ultear gathered her Crash magic. Simon's shadows boiled around him, the boy's sudden fury as palpable as Jellal's. Then the older wizard relented, unclenching his hand and sighing. "Then get to it! Chop chop, moss-head!" he snapped at Freed. "You're Laxus' servant boy, aren't you?"

"He's not–" Jellal snapped.

"I am," Freed interjected, "in a way." Jellal turned and gaped at Freed, who bowed to the bluenette. "Master Laxus saved me, Sir Jellal. Though it does not equal the Grim you survived, I believe it could compare."

"It's not a contest, Freed," Jellal insisted.

"True enough. Regardless, Laxus strode into that hell alone, and carried me out." The green-haired boy straightened, and stared coolly into Ivan's eyes. "I will return with Laxus. Touch him and die." Ivan and Jellal stared back, both slightly pale at how calmly the threat had come. Freed drew beautiful wings of purple light behind his back and flew off.

Ivan glanced at Jellal, who had turned to watch Freed go, and the man's eyes flickered across the boy's back. "What happened to you, brat? Nasty fall?"

Jellal blinked and faced Ivan again. One hand probed along and behind his shoulder. "I suppose you could call it that. A...very long fall."

Simon appeared from shadow at Jellal's side. "He got those protecting five other kids," the Shadow mage spat, Ivan blinking and Jellal turning in surprise. "I'm one of them. You hurt Jellal, and you'll wish Freed had killed you."

Ivan snorted as Ultear teleported to the two boys. "Moss head's threat was credible. Yours is not. Neither of you boys has the strength to inflict true pain."

"That's not strength," Jellal whispered. Ultear put a hand on his shoulder. _I'm not sure he's noticed,_ she thought. "It's weakness. I can feel it pulsing within you, like a disease."

Ivan gaped at Jellal, and Ultear clutched tight to her Crash magic, but then the purple man laughed, and she relaxed. "Clearly, you know nothing of pain."

Ultear gasped, calling on Mom's magic in Crash's place. "I was enslaved and tortured for six years," Jellal whispered. That wiped the smile off Ivan's face. "Do not lecture me on suffering, traitor."

Before their confrontation could escalate further, lightning rained down between the man and boy. Laxus and Freed appeared from the fading thunderbolt. "Father," Laxus said, arms crossed. Freed had put on a sword belt during his absence. "What do you want?"

Ivan's smile was disturbingly friendly. "Laxus, my boy!" He put a hand on the lightning wizard's shoulder, and when Jellal moved towards them, Laxus held up a hand. Jellal stopped cold. "Finally! I was beginning to wonder if Fairy Tail was hiding you from me."

"I don't hide," Laxus replied, crossing his arms.

Ivan's smile only grew. "Of course not. You're my son. Now, we need to talk about your lacrima."

"Why?" Laxus demanded, eyes narrowing as he shrugged out from Ivan's grip. The wind around them died. "Destroying one generation of Fairy Tail wasn't enough for you?"

At last, Ivan's smile vanished. "That has nothing to do with you, boy. Your grandfather thinks the guild's secrets are more important than its members. Most of my generation figured that out." He took a step towards Laxus. Jellal trembled, but didn't move. _Don't do anything stupid, kid,_ Ultear thought as loudly as she could. If Jellal heard her thoughts, he gave no sign of it. "Now. About your crystal."

"I've adapted, Father," Laxus said. His voice was colder than any ice magic.

Ivan rumbled in a sigh. "You don't just adapt to a magic-granting lacrima, Laxus. It needs to be calibrated, and you need to be examined."

"Magic-granting?" Jellal gasped, the color draining from his face again. "Laxus–"

"I'm _fine,"_ Laxus insisted. "Porlyusica checks me once every six months. She doesn't even complain any more." One corner of his mouth twitched up. "Much."

Golden magic burst to life around Jellal's fists. "You experimented – on your own _son?_ That's why Master Makarov kicked you out!"

Ivan sneered at the Cosmic Mage. "He threw me out because I dared to ask why his secrets were more important than Laxus' mother, brat. Go away." He waved at Jellal as though brushing aside a fly.

"You did a lot more than that, Father," Laxus retorted, then glanced at Jellal. "Stay out of this, kid."

"Enough," Ivan blurted, grabbing Laxus' shoulder again. "Porlyusica doesn't know everything." Laxus tensed, while Jellal, Simon, and Freed gathered their respective magics.

"Arc of Space: Reunion!" Ultear chanted, throwing open a gateway. To her surprise, it opened to an unfamiliar mountain range. _Dad! Help!_

Gildarts burst through the gate, his cloak tattered around the edges and Crash magic rippling from his back in waves. His regular poorly-shaven look had been replaced by a short mustache and beard. "Ultear! What's wrong–" His eyes locked on to Ivan. Gildarts bared his teeth, eyes narrow, body trembling. _"You,"_ he hissed.

"D-dad?" Ultear stared in disbelief. _I-I don't even recognize him like this,_ she thought. _I don't think I've ever seen him really angry before, and this – this is rage!_ Ivan, meanwhile, had released Laxus, recoiling from the furious Crash wizard.

"Get back, sweetie," Gildarts whispered, his legendary magic gathering around one fist.

"N-now Clive," Ivan stammered, "can't a man v-visit his son?"

"Master Gildarts." Laxus nodded to the Crash mage. "Please don't do permanent harm to my father."

Ivan whirled on his son. "That's all you have to say?!" he wailed, foot pounding on the ground as he spoke. It was wild, absurd, and painfully familiar. Ultear deflated. _I think that's almost...the Fairy Tail wizard he used to be._

"And that's all _you_ have to say!" Gildarts roared, leaping at Ivan and smashing into him with a devastating uppercut. _"Empyrean!"_

For an instant, the two were frozen in place, Gildarts' fist planted firmly in Ivan's chin. Then Ivan shot wailing into the heavens, flashing beyond Ultear's sight in a brief twinkle before disappearing entirely. All five children stared, jaws slack. "Zen, Dad," Ultear blurted, "what did you do?"

"He blasted off again," Gildarts quipped, grinning. The boys all stared at him, blinking. Ultear crossed her arms, eyes narrowing. His smile vanished. "Ivan can do that paper thing. I didn't knock him out." He pouted, looking away. "As much as I wanted to."

"Dad!" Ultear objected.

"What did he do, Mister Clive?" Jellal asked. Laxus flinched and looked away.

Gildarts sighed. "We used to have another paper wizard. Her name was Yomiko. Ivan didn't kill her himself, but what he did was bad enough, and she died." He bowed his head. "The guild almost died with her. Yomiko was...special. Wonderful. Everyone loved her." Dad looked up again. "You must have noticed that there aren't a lot of mages in Fairy Tail my age. Ivan convinced a lot of wizards that it was as much Mak's fault as his."

"He was stupid," Laxus grunted, "but it wasn't anyone's fault but 'Miko's, Gildarts."

All the kids except Laxus gasped at the glare the older mage turned on him. "You're his kid, so I'll let that go. Just remember, you weren't there. _I was._ He was lucky to get off with excommunication." With that, the mighty Gildarts slumped like a leaky balloon. "Oh, man. Thinking about those days always throws me off. Ultear, sweetie, can you gate me back?"

"Arc of Space: Reversion," Ultear chanted, and the gateway to the mountains opened again. He smiled again, waving to her as he left. The gate snapped shut, leaving the five children standing there staring.

Laxus' sigh was explosive. "That idiot," he grunted, heading back for his dorm.

"Which one?" Jellal chuckled. Ultear huffed and looked away. _Gee, thanks, Blue._

"Take your pick." Laxus stomped off, Freed trailing dutifully behind.

Simon shook his head, then moved in front of Jellal. "Now that we're done with _that_ insanity, what are you doing out here at this time of night? I thought you'd had another nightmare."

Jellal shrugged. "I did. Good thing, for once."

For a moment, Simon stared, jaw slack. Then he slapped his forehead. "Ultear, would you do me a huge favor and take this masochist home, please? I'm going back to bed." Ultear nodded, and Simon slunk off, head drooping and shoulders slumped.

Jellal watched Simon until the larger boy had vanished around a corner. "He must have had a rough day." Then he turned and bowed to Ultear, who leaped back in alarm. "Thank you, Miss Ultear, but I can make my own way home."

"Just. Ultear," she growled, and Jellal jumped upright. "And like Grim am I leaving you alone before I get you back. If Erza doesn't kill me, Mom will – and they'll both have the right."

"I can take care of myself, um, Ultear," Jellal insisted, shrugging. "I'll just go back to bed." He started walking.

Ultear followed him. "We know you're strong, Blue," she sighed, shaking her head. "You don't have to pull this macho crap."

Jellal chuckled. "I don't do 'macho.' Laxus and Natsu have that covered." He sighed when Ultear's eyes flickered to his back again. "That's already long past, Ultear. I'm a Fairy Tail wizard now. My family's free and safe. I have everything I could want."

"Then why are you the guy who lives outside town? Simon told me about your nightmare tremors," Ultear explained. Jellal grimaced. "You don't have to carry them any more. Haven't you figured out the guild, Mr. 'I'm a Fairy Tail wizard?' We all carry each _other_ here."

"I thought you'd be the one person who wouldn't have to ask," Jellal whispered. "You were alone in Grim once, too."

Ultear gasped. "oh." She shook her head. "Look, you're right. I know what it's like, never wanting to be a burden, always wanting to be the one doing the carrying. The others will never understand that them just _being_ there is enough."

"They should never have to," Jellal replied.

_"I know,"_ Ultear insisted. "But we're both hurt, deeper than the others will ever understand. That hurt means we need them too. It's okay not to be strong all the time."

When Jellal stopped and turned, eyes wide, Ultear froze at the disbelief she saw on his face. "Me? Strong? I pretended to be strong for them in the Tower. Maybe I pretended for so long it became real for a while. Then I learned just how weak I really was." Ultear blinked, and Jellal sighed again. "Have you seen it – the lives we would have lived, the monsters we would have _been,_ if the Voices hadn't saved us?"

The blood drained from Ultear's face. "Y-yeah, a little. Not much, but enough."

"Me too." Jellal slumped, deflating like a leaky balloon. "It's bad enough being a burden. The thought of becoming that – it's too much. You didn't need anyone else to hold you up, Ultear – you just needed someone to get you out."

Ultear barked a laugh. "Jellal, you idiot," she snapped. "I broke. You were possessed." The boy's face hardened. "Fine," she cut in before Jellal could continue. "Forget for a second that they both got better, and they saved us all. _We're not them._ We're Fairy Tail wizards. The only way anything like that could happen is if we don't _let_ them be there for us when we're weak and hurt and tired." Jellal's jaw sagged. _Critical hit to the logic,_ Ultear thought, careful not to smile. "Look, if nothing else, you said it yourself – I've been through this too, so I'll make you a deal. You let me be there for you when it hurts too much, and I'll do the same. Deal?" Ultear held out her hand.

It only took Jellal two seconds to grasp it. "Deal," he agreed. Then he flashed that smile Erza went on about, and Ultear saw the boy who could carry five children and an old man through the pit of Grim. "I'm going home now. It's getting cold."

Ultear laughed, and they walked out of Magnolia, both hearts lighter than they'd been in years.


	25. Vol. 6, Ch. 5

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X778: Erza

"What are you doing, Mirajane?" Erza demanded, setting her strawberry cake aside.

There was no trace of the sad, cloaked girl of three weeks before. Now she was dressed scandalously – a black tank top not even covering her midriff, short pants, and long boots all in black, with bits of white trim. She even wore a collar that looked like a belt. "Following my own path in the world," she said, smirking. "Isn't that what a Fairy Tail wizard is supposed to do?" She put her hands on her hips, one foot still on the back of a prone Natsu.

"You've already beaten him, Mira," Jellal sighed, the chess board in front of him forgotten. "You don't have to humiliate him." Levy was just to Jellal's side, arms crossed, jaw set.

"Please, Mira-nee," Lisanna pleaded. "Let Natsu up, won't you?"

Mirajane rolled her eyes. "Only for you, Lisanna," she conceded, using her foot to flip Natsu onto his back. His eyes were still swirling and unfocused. "Just remember this next time you pick a fight with a demon, dragon-brat."

Laxus laughed. "Now that's more like it! Welcome to the Fairy Tail monsters club, kid." He threw the white-haired girl a jaunty, two-fingered salute. "I'm the S-Class branch."

"You're not a demon, Mirajane." Jellal whispered. Erza felt a chill at his tone.

The elder Strauss turned her arm back into the powerful claw she'd just learned to control. "That's funny, coming from the boy who taught me how to be one." Elfman and Lisanna looked at their sister in disbelief, the boy's arm still a bear's, the younger girl looking half-cat.

"I taught you how _not_ to be one," Jellal replied, his voice soft and cool. "It's true that Natsu started your fight. You chose not to end it, even after you won."

"Sis?" Elfman called. Mirajane held up her clawed hand, and the boy fell silent. Erza shifted towards Jellal, hand on sword hilt. Elfman looked down, bear-hand becoming human.

"I appreciate your help, Blue," Mirajane replied, her voice as cool and reserved as Jellal's, "but I'm done cowering from people who want trouble with me because I'm a monster."

"Natsu just wanted a fight with a strong opponent," Erza retorted. "That's all he ever wants. It's good that you pounded him flat, but if you think he was picking on you, then you're a fool."

"Eh?" Mirajane turned a glare on Erza, locking eyes with the requip mage. "You want a fight too, armor girl?"

"I'm telling you to behave yourself," Erza retorted, taking a step towards the Take Over wizard.

"Hey," Jellal gasped, racing between the two, "let's all calm down."

"Out of the way, pretty boy," Mirajane snapped. "Your girlfriend wants a beatdown. I'm going to give it to her."

"She's not – we're not – Mavis and Chronos, Mirajane, stop it!" Jellal blurted, turning on his one-time pupil.

The older Strauss sister watched him for a few seconds. Several wizards scrambled away from the three young mages. Gray formed his Cold Armor. "No," Mirajane replied, grinning, then raced at Erza. With one swipe of her darkness-shod claw, she tried to force Jellal out of the way. A burst of power rippled from the clash.

"Jellal! _Requip!"_ Erza switched to her Heaven's Wheel armor and flew to protect her dearest friend – then stopped halfway around, staring in awe. Gray had likewise frozen three steps toward the fight. Even Natsu had recovered enough to look on, amazed.

Mirajane was gaping in disbelief, her strongest attack stopped cold by Jellal's outstretched palm. A star-shaped magic seal glowed around his hand. His eyes were closed. She hadn't budged him. "Mirajane Strauss," he rasped, shuddering. Erza landed, shifting her stance. _His voice...he's not the one I might have to defend,_ she decided. "You are not a demon. I know this, because I've had a demon crawling inside me." The Strauss sister gasped, releasing her magic and stepping back. "What you wield is merely a physical shell. There is no corruption, no cruelty, no hatred eating at your heart from the demon you defeated." His eyes opened and met hers. Mirajane stumbled back two more steps, eyes wide. "I know this, because I _do_ have those things within me." Jellal trembled, eyes narrowing. "You may well be stronger than me. Never believe that you are more _dangerous_ than I am, because you awakened to magic with the control that I struggle for every day."

The entire guild was frozen in place perfectly enough for framing. Then Jellal released his magic, turned, and strode out the door, not quite running. "Jellal!" Erza called again. With one last furious glare at Mirajane, she ran after him. Mirajane's annoyed exhalation sounded so much like Gray's, Erza nearly went back to beat some sense into the shape shifter. _No. Jellal needs me._

She found Jellal the moment she was through the door. "Gentle Jellal" was leaning on a lamp post, one hand pressed against it, the other clamped over his eyes. He was still shaking, and when Erza got closer, she could tell he was crying. "Why?" he whispered.

"'Why' what, Jellal?" Erza asked, switching back to her basic armor and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Why did I ever think I was free?"

Erza flinched. _Do not cry,_ she ordered herself. _You cannot afford to cry. He needs you._ Instead, she hugged him, and his whole body stiffened. "Because you are," she explained. "If you weren't, you wouldn't still be helping everyone you possibly can, even ungrateful Take Over idiots."

"I wanted to hit her," Jellal breathed. "No. I wanted to _beat_ her, pound her into the ground, show her – _everyone_ – the power she dared to challenge." He still wouldn't look at her, shuddering again. "Mirajane's just lost, confused, in pain. And I wanted to crush her."

Erza chuckled. Jellal gasped, slipped loose, and looked at her as though she'd gone mad. "She threatened your friends, and you're a Fairy Tail wizard."

"So is she," Jellal insisted.

"She's still learning how." Erza put her hand back on his shoulder, glad she could look him in the eyes this time. She smiled, hoping that it was like the smile he healed hearts with. "Lucky for her that you're a good teacher."

Jellal looked away. "Th-thanks." There was a pause, and Erza let his shoulder go, her face turning warm. "I'm going to go back to Cait Shelter for a while. I need to...rest."

"Of course," Erza agreed. They headed back into the guild, and the knight-mage slapped her forehead the moment they were inside. Mirajane was fighting Gray as they entered.

"It was my idea," Gray explained quickly. "I'm trying to learn Devil Slayer magic and..."

"He needs more practice," Mirajane quipped. Gray glared at her, but she just smirked at him. Erza stalked towards the girl. _Why in Mavis' name did Jellal feel guilty about wanting to punch her in the face?_ she wondered, glaring at the demon-girl. "Any time, Red."

"As soon as you're dressed." Erza smirked back. "Gray's obviously been a bad influence."

"E-Erza!" Gray objected, snatching his shirt from the floor.

"Not all of us hide behind armor," Mirajane shot back, fingers twitching. Before Erza knew it, they were glaring at each other so closely their foreheads nearly touched. _Try it, you delinquent,_ Erza thought, hoping without shame that Mirajane threw the first blow. To her surprise, though, Mirajane took a step back, looking towards the Script Gate. Jellal was there, about to walk through. "Oi, Blue!" she called, and Jellal stopped. "You're not a demon either, you know."

Erza's jaw went slack, but Jellal just smiled sadly. "Thanks, Mira," he replied, then returned to Cait Shelter.

With an explosive sigh, Erza turned and walked away from Mirajane, sitting at her usual bench. "Hey, I thought we were going to fight," the demon-girl objected.

"Maybe another time," Erza said, returning to her cake. Mirajane huffed and left. Half the guild stopped holding their breath. _Honestly. I don't know how Master Makarov does it._


	26. Vol. 7, Ch. 1

**Volume Seven: Everybody Lives**

Earthland-1, Worth Woodsea, X790: Jellal

Ultear sighed. "It looks like the next few years are fairly mundane, at least by Fairy Tail standards. I wish I'd been able to learn more about that huge time spell in 777, but there's nothing to do about it now. Otherwise, not much seems to have changed for them, aside from what we've already altered."

"Wasn't Cana a drinker?" Meredy asked, peering into the crystal ball. "For that matter, the whole guild seems less...I dunno, dysfunctional."

"Ur seems to have become mother to half the guild," Jellal pointed out, voice as gentle as he could manage. _Ultear. I hope you know what you're doing._

Ultear, to his surprise, grinned at him. "True, but I think the more important part is your counterpart taking on all the dysfunction himself. It seems that you seek out pointless guilt in any universe."

"He hasn't killed anyone," Jellal retorted, sighing. "Look, there are going to be obvious extrapolations. Cana isn't hiding from her father. Erza hasn't lost her old friends. They have more mages, and some of them are incredibly strong."

"Yeah, with you and Ur, that's two extra S-Class right there." Meredy raised an eyebrow at the sphere. "What about you, Ultear? Why isn't your alternate S-Class?"

"She and Cana aren't as interested in that world," Ultear explained. "My counterpart will most likely pass, eventually." She ran her hands over the crystal. "Their Grimoire Heart is keeping a low profile over those years, searching for keys they don't need. We can skip ahead." Jellal nodded, and Earthland-2 moved onward. "The next major divergence appears to happen in X781, when...well, well."

ANNOTATION: The title of this volume is a reference to the eponymous trope and its trope namer, the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor Dances," where "just once, everybody lives".


	27. Vol. 7, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X781: Jellal

Natsu burst through the guild hall door, fist raised. "Mission complete! Right, Happy?"

"Aye, sir!" the winged cat exulted. Jellal couldn't help a smile.

"How much of your reward money went to damages?" Erza demanded.

Natsu's huge smile vanished. "Not that much," he replied, not quite pouting. Laughter filled the hall. Jellal shook his head, ignoring the guild's collective amusement at Natsu's destructive expense (not to mention expenses). _I'd better stop by, make sure they don't stay mad,_ he thought, remembering several other Salamander missions that he'd helped clean up after.

Instead, he put down his chalk, wandered over to the S-Class job board, and looked at the missions. _Monster hunt...monster hunt...cursed staff...raider hunt._ With a sigh, he returned to his practice circles, drawing what he hoped was a power booster seal. It sputtered and sparked at him.

Laxus walked over, chuckling at Jellal's latest experiment. "Wow, you must be bored," he noted, leaning on the table, "if your sparklers are more interesting than demon fighting."

"Neither of the listed monsters is a true demon," Jellal replied. Laxus raised an eyebrow. "The one in the mountains is a blizzardvern, and the desert monster is a mutant doscadon. Neither is an immediate threat to the lives of the locals."

Laxus shook his head and sat across from the cosmic mage. "You are not getting me to ask how you know that," he insisted. "So what are you doing up here? You usually hide at Cait Shelter when you're down, so that's not it."

Jellal grimaced. "Gray's losing patience," he grumbled.

"After seven years?" Laxus asked, scratching his head. "Hasn't Gildarts been knocking Deli-boring around whenever it gets frisky?"

"Deliora," Jellal corrected, "is starting to show resistance to Gildarts' methods of convincing it. Even he's never been able to kill the thing, and it's begun approaching civilization again."

Laxus snorted. "So go after it yourself, big brain," he retorted, drumming his fingers on the table. "Can't you just banish it or something?"

Jellal glared at him. "If I could, don't you think I would have?" He shook his head. "Etherious demons aren't from another plane of reality. Zeref created them. The gods alone know why."

"You're trying to help Gray train," Laxus said, sighing. "Looking for a demon you can help him with, one that isn't as powerful as Deliora." Jellal nodded, wiping his chalk circle away with a curt wave. "Jellal, you can't carry the guild's weaklings forever. Sooner or later, they're going to have to get strong on their own."

"You sound like Siegrain," Jellal shot back, teeth clenched. Laxus rolled his eyes. "If you think Gray's weak, then I don't even know where to begin talking to you about this. Besides, not everything is about magic power."

"Easy for you to say," Laxus snorted. "You're as much a Zen-damn force of nature as I am." He shook his head and stood. "I'm going to take the doscadon job. Do me a favor and figure out what you want while I'm gone." He grabbed the job and left in a burst of golden power. Jellal sighed. _Don't lose your way out there, Laxus._

"Jellal!" Gray shouted from below. The star mage ran to the railing to find his old friend staring back up in horror. "Help! I think I hurt Mirajane!"

"You what?!" Jellal blurted. "Meteor!" He raced down and out back where he'd inscribed the sparring circle, then stopped and stared.

Gray's ice had taken on a purplish-blue cast, glistening in the afternoon sun. Even sheathed in Meteor's aura, he could feel the cold, more intense than ever. Mirajane thrashed in a block of the newly-hardened frost, trapped from the shoulders down. "Gray! Get back here, you – Jellal?" Mirajane blinked at him, nearly baring her teeth. "What in Zen's name did you teach him?"

Jellal shot to Mirajane's side, fingers running along the ice's facets. "Mirajane, what I'm about to ask you is important, so please be as precise as you can. What was the last spell you used against Gray before this happened, and have you used it against him before?"

Mirajane glared at him. "Soul Extinctor," she replied, writhing briefly, "and no. He wasn't strong enough to take it until now." Gray rushed over as she spoke, looking from the ice to Jellal and back. "You want to tell me what just happened?"

"Gray, try to unmake the ice," Jellal suggested, passing his fingers over his eyes. The magic within this new form of Ice-Make harmonized in a way he'd never seen before. _It's something like Dragon Slayer magic, and maybe a little like Wave Magic,_ he guessed. His eyes widened while Gray went into his classic Ice-Make stance, and a crowd formed outside the circle. _Is it possible? Could he have finally–_

Suddenly, Gray put his palm atop his fist, the reverse of his usual creation ritual. "Ice-Unmake," he chanted, and the frozen field vanished. Mirajane snarled and burst into the air, the remnants of the frost melting away. "What just happened?"

Jellal smiled and put a hand on Gray's shoulder. "Congratulations – Devil Slayer." Gray gaped at Jellal, then looked at his hands in disbelief. It was no surprise that his shirt had vanished, but the black symbol on his right arm was decidedly new. The cosmic mage looked at the V with the dot in the middle – or was it a stylized "A"? – with a worried grimace. "Though there may be side effects."

"We can worry about that later," Gray replied, composed again in a heartbeat. "Deliora's in northeast Iceberg. We can be there in two days if we hurry." Mirajane raced back down, not quite glaring at the ice mage.

"Or I can gate us there, _when you're ready,"_ Ultear shot back, striding to his side and pulling his shirt back onto him. "Gods, Gray, you've waited seven years, you can take a few days to prepare!" A few muffled protests escaped the shirt before Gray managed to free himself from Ultear's ministrations.

"You're not going anywhere near Deliora!" Gray objected, fists at his sides.

"Try and stop me," Ultear retorted, hands on hips.

Ur whistled. Loudly. The argument stopped, half the guild having covered their ears. "Now that I have your attention," she drawled, "no one's 'going anywhere near Deliora' until Makarov and I say otherwise. Jellal, do you think you can replicate Devil Slayer magic now that you've seen it?"

"I don't think 'replicate' is the right word," Jellal explained. "Look at Natsu and Wendy. You don't just learn Slayer magic, you become it. That said," he continued, watching Gray, "I think I can absorb Devil Slayer energies, with the help of Wendy and Gray." Before he realized what he'd done, Jellal's hand had gone to his abdomen. "You take on elements of the creature you are trained to fight. You're marked by the magic, by the being's nature. I'm already demon-scarred. It'll actually help." _For once._

"Wait," Ultear blurted, eyes wide, "are you saying that Gray's become part demon?" Gray scoffed and looked away.

"No more than Mirajane," Jellal hastened to clarify. "It's not a descent into evil, just a physical alteration. To the best of my knowledge, Gray's marking is really no different than Take Over magic, metaphysically speaking."

"What about you?" Erza asked quietly, and Jellal almost jumped when he realized he hadn't seen her arrive. "Will you be in any danger?"

Jellal gave it a few moments' thought. "Control can only help," he decided.

"Then let's get started," Gray said.

The next three days went by in a blur. Jellal's transformation into a Sky Devil Slayer of sorts was almost anticlimactic to him – though his guildmates disagreed, watching in horror as he stood between Wendy's Sky Dragon winds and Gray's Ice Devil Rage in a terrible conflagration. No new marking appeared on him, but the young prodigy felt the birthmark on his face radiate with power both grand and fierce. _It's artificial, and not nearly as powerful a change as Gray's, but it will suffice. It must._ Erza noticed the transformation as well, but said nothing while they prepared for the hunt.

When the time came, Ultear's Arc of Space carried the most powerful gathering of Fairy Tail wizards in a generation. Master Makarov, Gildarts, Ur, Erza, Mirajane, Jellal, Mystogan, Gray, Ultear, Natsu (who had invited himself, surprising no one), Happy, Simon, and Kagura all advanced along the frozen northern shore of Iceberg, while Shou, Millianna, Wally, Elfman, and Lisanna guarded Wendy from an impromptu base in the nearest town. "He shouldn't be far," Gildarts said, taking point. Gray was always near the older mage, clad in frozen armor and stalking the mountain range without the least sign of fatigue. It was an effort to convince him to make camp both nights on the trail.

Still, a monster the size of Deliora could not evade them for long, so at last they found their prey. On their third day of searching, they spotted the enormous demon in one of the range's many valleys, snarling and thrashing, eyes darting with an almost paranoid air as it smashed anything that bore the most remote resemblance to an obstacle. "Y'know," Gildarts whispered, grinning like a madman, "I think I've made an impression on that monster."

"Let's go make a few more," Gray hissed. "Ice-Make: Zero Excalibur." A sword, sharper and tougher than any he'd created before, formed in the Devil Slayer's hands.

"Patience, Gray," Master Makarov urged, walking calmly along the ridge. "We'll surround the creature. You will have your chance, never fear." With that, he calmly jumped over the side. Most of them gaped, mouths falling open, but Gildarts merely chuckled.

"Um, he's in a valley, so we can probably hit him from a few different mountains at once," Ultear said, stretching her arms out. Arc of Space spheres formed below each of her palms. "I can move teams as soon as we choose–"

Deliora turned and glared at them. _"RUN!"_ Gray cried, launching himself at the demon horror with a geyser of ice. Screaming his rage, he plunged Zero Excalibur into its chest.

"Gray!" Several voices shouted at once. Jellal couldn't tell which ones had mingled with his, except Erza's. _I will always know her voice._

"Fullbuster," Deliora rumbled, its voice echoing and inhumanly deep. "You were inevitable. The Crash man is only your arm." Jellal swallowed. _It talks? It never talked before!_

Gildarts exploded towards the demon. "I'm a lot more than that," he laughed, "but you should know better by now." His legendary power gathered around his fists.

With a single breath, Deliora unleashed a terrible explosive gout, blasting Gildarts back. Fairy Tail's mightiest wizard was unharmed, but he was half a valley away before he'd righted himself. "You are not, Crash man," the demon hissed. "I know your scent, Fullbuster. I know your line. You are the last." He swatted at his chest as though slapping a fly, but Gray dropped away from the blow with inches to spare. "And when you die, so shall the magic that can harm me."

Jellal launched himself at the murderous creature, calling forth all the magic he'd prepared over five years of study and friendship. "Sky Devil's Rage!" he chanted, and a storm of sacred force blasted Deliora in the face. It roared, stumbling back. "Heaven can birth more champions than you can kill, demon!"

Baleful crimson eyes turned on the cosmic wizard. "Wrong," Deliora said, breathing in again.

"Requip!" Even as Jellal gathered magic of sky and star, Erza appeared, wielding her newly-acquired Adamantine Armor. Deliora unleashed another gout of explosive flame, but Erza slammed together the shield halves on each arm, somehow managing to hold against it. Jellal didn't dare evade. _If I move, I'll just expose her to more danger,_ he thought, innards churning.

With a suddenness that surprised him, the flames spun away from Erza, spiraling down to a small rosy speck. "Yuck," Natsu spat, "your flames taste awful." Then he grinned, an expression filling half his face. "Still, now that I've eaten, I feel re-energized." He slammed his fists together. "I'm all fired up!"

Deliora glanced down, eyes narrowing. His response to this affront was to stomp at where Natsu had landed. The streak of flame Jellal saw left him hoping Natsu had dodged. _If he didn't...I'm not sure even Natsu could survive that,_ he thought. _We need to coordinate._ Reaching out to Erza's mind, the cosmic mage tried to make contact. For a few seconds, given her mental strength, he might as well have been reaching for the moon, but then Erza responded. _We need to keep Deliora occupied while Gray gathers his magic,_ he thought.

_You are also a Devil Slayer,_ Erza replied. Jellal was briefly distracted by the contact; her thoughts echoed with steel against steel, and tasted of strawberries. _Focus, Jellal. It's possible Deliora deceived us, but together, you and Gray may yet put an end to its rampage._ She allowed herself to begin falling, but as the titanic demon turned its attention to Jellal once more, Erza chanted, "Requip!" and switched to a black, winged battle suit. Racing at Deliora's face, she slashed at one of its inhuman eyes. Even that monster recoiled from her blow.

_Everyone, hit it from all sides!_ Jellal sent, inspired by Erza's attack. _Don't let up, keep it occupied!_ With that, he raced to Gray's side. The Devil Slayer was just finishing a vast intake of ice and snow. "Told ya, ice princess," Natsu laughed, running up the monster's tail.

"Yeah, yeah," Gray muttered, wiping his mouth, but the moment he saw Jellal, the star mage had his undivided attention. "Jellal, how much magic power do you have left?"

Jellal looked from Gray to Deliora, watching Gildarts, Ur, and Erza hit it from three directions. Then Makarov grew to its height and punched the demon in the face. It stumbled, then roared in fury. Jellal concentrated, reaching deep within. "Enough," he said at last.

Gray nodded. "When I give the word, pull that thing's face down here as hard and fast as you can. Understood?" Jellal watched as Gray focused all his magic into a single bow, Zero Excalibur transforming into an arrow. Jellal nodded.

Deliora traded punches with Makarov, neither giving a meter's worth of ground. Gildarts blew up its leg, only for the demonic body to repair itself in seconds. Ur conjured a massive cage of roses and branches, only to be thrown aside by a swing of its arm, her entire spell shattered. "Master," Gray whispered, eyes wide. "Jellal, now!" he shouted.

"Heaven Sky Hybrid Art: Starfall!" Jellal chanted, reaching up with both hands. With all the force he could muster, he grabbed Deliora's head and _pulled,_ hammering its entire back with Devil Slayer blasts as he did.

If it hadn't been for the others, Jellal knew it wouldn't have been enough, not remotely. But their team had knocked Deliora off-balance, and Makarov threw a punch into the monster's skull at the perfect moment, and the demon fell right towards them. "Gray? Incoming," Jellal reported, voice shaking.

"Ice Devil Zero Destruction Bow!" Gray chanted, then fired. The arrow struck Deliora right between the eyes. In spite of all the force that had been unloaded into the monster, that one blow threw it the other way, and the demon screamed. Dark flames spilled from its mouth, a jet of the stuff issuing from the wound as well. It regained its footing, turning a baleful glare on the Ice Devil Slayer. Jellal gathered what scraps of magic he had left, prepared to defend the boy who'd come for him and Erza so long ago.

Then mighty Deliora wailed, falling to its knees. "Fullbusterrr!" it screamed, arms outstretched, gaze turned helplessly to the stars. "Fullbuster..." It fell _up_ then, imploding and smashing inward, crushed by some implacable, invisible force. _It's not human magic, that much is certain,_ Jellal realized. Then the star mage heard a familiar sound: the distinctive thump of a book thrown closed.

The mages who had the strength watched as the book, bound in blue-gray leather, fell towards the snow. It vanished halfway to earth. "Is...is it dead?" Natsu asked, panting from having run to Gray's side.

"I don't think so," Gray admitted, "but it's not going to recover on its own, either." He stared at the empty space where the tome had vanished. "Books of Zeref. I guess it's not a metaphor." Then he fell back, unconscious in the snow, his skin tinged faintly green.

"Gray!" Jellal and Natsu cried, rushing to him as best they could. Again, Jellal called on magic sight, examining his friend and biting his lip. "Is he gonna be all right?" Natsu asked.

"It's a case of Magic Deficiency," Jellal muttered, analyzing the ethernano flow through the Devil Slayer. Several tense seconds followed, during which the others gathered around the three boys. _I'm an idiot,_ Jellal decided suddenly, reaching out with what little telekinesis he had left and ripping a small chunk of glacier from the mountain. Gently, he drew it down to Gray's lips. "Eat," he whispered, directing the impulse into Gray's body with a few chalk circles. "Come on."

It was more like inhaling than eating, with Gray's teeth latching onto the ice fragment, then sucking it in with a single magical swallow. Still, it was enough to rid him of the green tinge. Jellal exhaled and sat, hands dropping to the snowy ground to avoid collapsing entirely. "Idiot," Ultear grumbled, standing over them with her arms crossed.

"Which one?" Ur asked, chuckling as she hobbled over. Jellal looked up at the older ice mage, deflating. _What did I do?_

"Gray, definitely," Ultear replied, glaring at her "brother." She glanced at Natsu, then Jellal. "I'm still deciding about these two."

Ur dropped to one knee, brushing some hair out of Gray's face. "Jellal's not that bad," she replied, smiling gently. Natsu sounded as though he was choking, while a few of the others laughed. Jellal, knowing better than to add commentary of his own, shuffled back to let Ur work.

That was when he saw that her most of her lower leg was made of ice, almost to her knee. "Miss Ur – your leg?" Jellal breathed. He felt sick, nearly collapsing on the spot.

"It's gone, but don't worry," Ur replied, smiling. "The magic to care for each other...don't you think it's wonderful?"

Jellal realized he was crying, but smiled back for her and nodded. "Mm!"


	28. Vol. 7, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, East Forest, X781: Ultear

Gray sat on the stool, watching their mother with a fixed gaze. Ur, S-Class living legend, was unconscious in one of Porlyusica's beds. Gray wasn't moving. Ultear had to focus to notice his breathing. His face was as frozen as any Ice-Make magic.

Ultear didn't need magic of any sort to see past his mask. _This is tearing him apart._ She looked from mother to brother in frustration. _I can't even be mad at him, really. He always had to do this, and Mom was always going to go with him. She's not any worse off than Erza._ The space mage's eyes flickered to where the framework prosthetic lay outside the blanket. _This weird contraption is even supposed to give her new options for Ice Magic._ It was like a metal cast made of bands, shaped like a leg and foot, but open and hollow. Multiple enchantments made it virtually invulnerable to cold, and even dormant, a chill breeze echoed inside it. She returned her attention to the gifted idiot Ur had adopted. "So, how hard am I going to have to hit you to make you stop blaming yourself?"

"Erza couldn't hit me that hard," Gray retorted, voice cracking. "Damn it. This is why I wanted to go alone."

Unable to stop herself, Ultear grabbed Gray's miraculously-still-on shirt and hauled him around to face her. "And then you'd be dead," she snapped, forcing back tears. "How long are you going to keep doing this, Gray? Are we your family or not?"

"Why do you think I want to keep you out of it?" Gray shot back, his whole body shaking. "You and Ur have done enough. Deliora's my responsibility."

"Tch," Ur sighed, and Ultear let Gray go, both of them facing her. _Porlyusica is going to kill us,_ Ultear thought, _and we might actually deserve it this time._ Mom smiled up at them. "How long have you been a Fairy Tail wizard, Gray?"

Gray looked out a window, arms folded. _Typical,_ Ultear complained. "So what? Fairy Tail wizards go on jobs by themselves all the time."

"Not on suicide missions, they don't," Ur said, still smiling. _How does she do that? I want to slap Gray until his face turns red._ Mom sat up, her prosthetic vanishing beneath the covers. "Gray, I lost a foot. My new one is working out fine. I can't replace a lost son."

"I can't replace a lost mother, either," Gray choked out, fists clenching.

Ur looked down, smile finally vanishing. "Gray, I've never tried to take your parents' place," she began.

Ultear gaped when Gray cut Ur off with a hug. "I never said you did," he whispered, holding Mom with the fierce passion he tried so hard to hide. "So I have two moms. I lost one. I can't lose you too." Ur's smile returned, tears trickling past it.

_About time he called her Mom,_  Ultear thought, wiping away a tear. Maybe two. "Gray, let her rest," she said, glancing at the door. "Porlyusica's going to break ten brooms on us as it is." Her brilliant moron brother let Mom go and stood, his eyes squeezed shut. "Let's go. Arc of Space: Evacuation." A gateway to the guild opened. Gray followed her through it without another word. Mom waved to them, then dropped back into the bed.

When the gate closed, Ultear stood in front of Gray until he finally met her gaze. "We know you're going after Deliora again," she pointed out. "We'll have a better chance being together from the start."

"That worked out great this time, didn't it?" Gray snapped.

"No one died, little brother," Ultear replied, glaring at him. "Look, just spill, when do you think we'll see it again?"

After a few seconds brooding, Gray shrugged. "Sorry. It's a book now. Jellal says it shouldn't be able to revive itself, so it depends on where it went and who finds the Grim thing."

Ultear watched him for a bit. _Yeah, he's being straight with me,_ she decided. "All right. Don't shut us out, okay, Gray? Cracking the occasional smile won't kill anyone."

Gary muttered something as he walked away. It took Ultear a second to translate it: "You don't know that." She facepalmed. _Zen damn it, Gray. What are we going to do with you?_


	29. Vol. 7, Ch. 4

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X782: Mirajane

_Why does everyone think the main hall is rowdy?_ Mirajane strode through the guild hall, shaking her head at the brawl between Natsu and Shou. _The fights in here aren't as good as they used to be._ She turned a narrow-eyed glare on Gray, who was going over the job board. _At least flame boy's throwdowns with Fullbuster used to be fun. Why does Natsu have the same problems with him I do? It makes no sense._  She rubbed her jaw, remembering her last match with the Devil Slayer. Looking over her shoulder, the infamous She-Devil of Fairy Tail saw her siblings close behind, and her expression softened. _At least it's not all bad. These S-Class jobs mean I can finally take care of Elfman and Lisanna the way they deserve._

A quick scan of the hall let her find the last piece of her current puzzle. She couldn't help her grin taking a satisfied turn. _Let's see how jealous the high and mighty Titania can get._ Jellal was neither reading nor playing with chalk, just enjoying a bar of chocolate in his slow, deliberate manner. "Oi, Blue," she called over, "let me know when you're done with that." Jellal turned, and she winked at him. He looked away too late to hide turning a hilarious shade of pink. Ultear chuckled.

Erza was in front of Mirajane two seconds later. "You're slipping, Scarlet," Mirajane said, smirking at her rival. "I expected you to be standing there before I was done talking."

"If you pick on Jellal," Erza whispered, hand resting on her sword hilt, "you will regret it."

"Pick on him?" The Demon raised an eyebrow at the redhead. "I like him, when he's not following you around like a lovesick puppy." Erza's blush went deeper than Jellal's. _Ooo, look at that. Someone might finally be getting a clue,_ Mirajane thought, smirk growing. "I just want his help tracking down a beast for Elfman to Take Over." Erza's eyes narrowed, so Mirajane held up the mission flier.

After a few seconds, Erza looked down, rubbing her chin. "Jellal will be fine, then," she agreed, "but are you sure your brother is ready for this 'Beast King?' It's an S-Class mission, after all."

Mirajane grimaced, hands dropping to her hips. "That's why I'm taking Jellal! I was just going to beat the thing up for the money, but then I realized that your boyfriend's magic circles should hold it long enough for Elfman to gain control. Do you really think I'd take stupid risks with my family?"

"He's not – just be careful," Erza said, her blush growing to nearly match her hair. "No S-Class mission is ever simple."

Mirajane didn't bother responding to that, merely snorting and heading over to Jellal. He was done with his chocolate, and had been watching her talk with Erza. "I want your help with an S-Class job," she explained, slapping the flier down in front of him. "You don't need to fight, just lay some magic circles down. Elfman wants to get stronger, and I'm going to help him."

"It's about time," Laxus rumbled, sitting with the Thunder Tribe a table over. "You've been coddling him too long."

The Demon glared at him. "No one asked you, lightning lad," she snarled. Laxus scoffed and looked away. _Why in Zen's name did I ever date that jerk?_ An evening among the cherry blossoms – ending with an electric kiss that had nothing to do with Dreyar's magic – floated through her memory. _Oh. Right._

"You're doing this job whether I come along or not, right?" Jellal asked. That got Mirajane's attention again, and she nodded. "Very well. I'm in."

"Good. Let's get Elfman and Lisanna and get moving," she said, waving for him to follow. It was easy to catch Jellal and Erza sharing a look before he joined her outside the guild. _He's a nice guy, but what does she see in him?_ Mirajane wondered. _He'd be the most boring boyfriend ever._

Elfman was easy to find, training as he so often did lately. Lisanna took a little longer, but her crush on flame-brain proved useful for once. He'd left the guild after defeating Shou, and their little sister was scolding Natsu for the fight. The kid wanted to come, which was no surprise, but Elfman was already unhappy that she thought they needed Jellal's help, so she left the boy and his cat behind.

It was a long, quiet trip. _I'll die of boredom before we ever fight the Beast King,_ Mirajane thought, stretching as they approached the town. "Ai-yah," she groaned. "We should have brought Natsu. At least I would've had someone to fight on the way!"

"Aw, don't be like that, Mirajane," Elfman whined. "We've always managed together, haven't we?" He pouted at Jellal, and Mira chuckled. _Elfy probably thinks he looks tough._

"You used to value your guild's help more," Jellal replied, his voice barely more than a whisper. "What happened to you, Elfman?" Elfman crossed his arms, grunted, and looked away.

Lisanna exhaled in frustration. "Jellal's right, Elf-nii. You're one of the older boys, you should set a better example. Natsu would probably still be brawling with Gray if he didn't have that weird allergy to Gray's new magic."

Mirajane and Jellal shared a look at that, not for the first time. "Yeah. Allergy," the Demon said, hoping she hadn't been too obvious. _Natsu's never shown any signs of Take Over magic. Sometimes our capacity for denial scares me._ She put her hands on her hips and looked up the mountain trail. _Not that I like thinking about it either. Zen. What is the Salamander, anyway?_

"Natsu's learning to resist it," Jellal replied. "He should be able to train with Gray again in a year or so."

"Please don't encourage them," Lisanna sighed, shaking her head. Mirajane and Elfman laughed.

A roar unlike any Mirajane had heard before put an end to all thought of Natsu. It was somehow screeching and deep at the same time, and every instinct she had was screaming alarms. "Lisanna, get in the air," she ordered. "Jellal, find it, analyze it, but don't let it spot you, and for Zen's sake, do not engage." They nodded and obeyed, Lisanna taking to the sky in bird form, while Jellal disappeared in a blur of Meteor magic. "Elfman."

"Nee-san?" he asked.

She ignored his use of the weird guild slang. _For now._ Mirajane grabbed his shoulders. "Listen to me, little brother. Part of why I took Jellal was to get Erza to make a move on him, but I really did bring him for his brains. If he says it's too dangerous to Take Over that thing, you listen. Do you understand?"

"Sure," Elfman agreed, nodding. "Unless it's the only way to protect you or Lisanna–"

"I can take care of myself," she insisted, pouring something of the Demon into her eyes. "Your first job is to watch out for Lisanna, got it?" He nodded. "Good." She smiled. "Take Over – Satan Soul!" The wings and tail burst from her back, the claws grew around her hands, and the awful, wonderful power filled her to overflowing. With a single beat of her demon's wings, she tore through the air, racing toward the blue-haired scholar. Elfman ran to catch up, but she was near the mountain peak before he'd started moving.

Jellal had already drawn several magic circles around the opening of an enormous cavern. Bones littered the cave mouth. _My kind of place,_ Mirajane told herself, ignoring the chill trying to freeze her spine. "Pretty boy! What have you got?"

He didn't look up, casting some kind of astrological circle around him in blue and gold chalk. _Huh. No scarlet,_ she noticed. "It's not exactly a mutant, and certainly not a demon, but the Beast King isn't entirely natural, either," Jellal said. Mirajane snarled and landed near him, hands on hips again. _He probably thinks that's an explanation,_ she thought, but then he continued. "There are spirits that represent our world's concepts. Everything from hills to kings have Celestial Spirit representatives."

"So it's a Celestial Spirit?" Mirajane asked.

"No, but I think this creature must have, at some point, absorbed the essence of the idea of monsters," he explained. "It's a living thing, but it embodies the raw might of the magical apex predator. A Beast King."

Mirajane grinned, holding up a fist. "Now we're talking. You keep those circles going. I'm going to knock it down the food chain a notch." She flew in.

"Mirajane, _wait!"_ Jellal cried, but then his voice was lost in the cavern's echoes. _Not that it matters. No brainless animal is going to –_

Stopping in mid-air, Mirajane stared at the sight before her. The Beast King turned, chewing on a wyvern's leg. The corpses of several other monsters were scattered around the titan, all torn apart. She couldn't make out what half of them had been. The Beast was simply enormous, with horns nearly as tall as Lisanna, teeth the length of legs, arms like trains. _Still, better not to mess around,_ she decided. "Soul Extinctor!" she chanted, and her deadliest attack enveloped the Beast King.

It snarled, shaking like a wet dog. _I barely scratched it!_ Mirajane roared and slashed at its face, leaving a long mark beneath one eye. _That's better. It's not invulnerable, which means –_

To the end of her days, Mirajane could never work out what happened next. All she was certain of was that it had struck her with a fist, but between its size and her position, nothing that big should have been able to move fast enough to catch her off guard. Yet when she landed outside the cave, her entire body a mass of pain, Mira knew that something was very wrong.

The She-Devil was certain Jellal was trying to say something, but her ears were ringing and the Beast King was roaring, drowning out the star wizard. She managed to get back to her feet, gathering her magic. "Darkness Stream!" she chanted, and as the Beast King charged at her, the tendrils of demon-shadow gripped and tore at it.

It tore back, stomping right through her spell. While the Beast's kick didn't tear her in half – something blunted its katana-sharp talons – it threw her past the largest of Jellal's circles. She would have flown past Jellal too, but he darted over to catch her. "Mirajane! Mavis, are you all right?"

"I'm...hnng...I just need a moment..." Mirajane insisted, but she let him help her to her feet. "Did you just shield me?"

The Starburst wiped a few drops of blood from his upper lip. "Just trying to help."

Mira considered a handful of retorts, thought about what that kick would have done to her innards, and rejected them all. "Thanks," was all she said. Jellal nodded.

Lisanna darted from the sky, racing down to their side. "Mira! Oh, no!"

"Get to town," she ordered. "Tell them to evacuate."

"I'm not leaving y–" her little sister began.

"Do it!" Mirajane growled. Lisanna nodded, eyes wide, and changed back into a bird, flying towards town. The Beast King, meanwhile, had already forced its way through one of Jellal's trap circles, and was pushing through two more. "Jellal." She closed her eyes, not wanting to admit it, knowing she had to. "I screwed up. This thing – I've never fought anything like it."

"We'll be enough," Jellal insisted. "Starburst!" His volley of Cosmic Magic hit the Beast right in the eyes, blinding it. "For now, we fall back."

"Not until the town is safe," Mirajane snapped. "I made this mess, I'm going to clean it up."

"Just down the path a bit," Jellal explained, drawing circles so quickly she could watch the chalk pieces wearing away. "You need to recover, and I need to analyze."

"Sis!" Elfman called, still running towards them. "Are you all right?" Before she could answer, the Beast King ripped through another of Jellal's circles, snarling and clawing with increasing ferocity every second it was denied. Jellal flinched as if struck with each shattered ward, but kept working without hesitation.

Images of her brother torn apart like the wyvern filled Mirajane's mind. "I'll be fine! Go help Lisanna!" Jellal raised an eyebrow at her. "Your circles aren't enough, and it's stronger than my Satan Soul," Mira told him.

"She's heading back for town," Elfman replied, still running towards them. "Why aren't you fighting i– ZEN!" Mirajane turned, seeing his eyes go wide at the sight of her hanging onto Jellal for support. The Beast King tore through yet another of Jellal's binding circles, and the cosmic wizard's head rocked as if punched. The blue-haired mage ignored a slight nosebleed. After a moment of terror crossing Elfman's features, her brother became pure resolve. "Hang on, nee-san, Jellal! I'm coming!"

"Elfman, _no!"_ A feeling Mirajane hadn't had since childhood shot through her – helplessness. She looked at Jellal, hoping he could sense her desperation.

With a gentleness that stunned Mirajane, the cosmic mage helped her sit, then turned to face the Beast. He erupted with blue power in a column of raw might she hadn't seen since their final S-Class trial, when Gildarts had unleashed one like it on Jellal himself. _That's...he's...Zen, Jellal, what_ are _you?_

The Beast King roared and stomped through yet another of the binding circles. Only one remained. Jellal took the opportunity to charge at it, hammering it from above with Meteor. It swiped at him with that impossible speed, but he dodged so quickly even Laxus would have had trouble matching it. Then Jellal landed in front of her, his fingers splayed in a magical gesture she hadn't seen before. "Be judged by the Seven Stars! _Grand Chariot!"_

Struggling to her feet, Mirajane looked up, realizing he'd drawn the constellation above the Beast King during his Meteor attacks. The rain of cosmic power slammed into the monstrosity, and at last it appeared to have been truly hurt. It bellowed its rage to the heavens, the last binding circle holding as it reeled. Yet Jellal wasn't finished. He held out a hand, golden light glowing around it. "Star Cage!" he chanted, and glowing lines appeared around the Beast.

"Darkness Stream!" Mirajane joined in, and her own magic supported his. A cocoon of light and shadow enveloped the Beast King, and its thrashing began to subside.

Then it all fell apart. With a roar of fury incarnate, the monster tore through both spells _and_ the circle, its claws slashing through the entire working. Jellal and Mirajane both stumbled back, Meteor and Satan Soul collapsing in the wake of the backlash. The Beast King stood there, panting and churning. _At least we've worn it down somewhat,_ Mirajane thought, _but Jellal's weakened, and I'm almost out. I don't know how we're going to stop –_

"Take Over: Beast Soul!" Elfman chanted, arms raised. He'd reached the Beast during the battle, and his magic lashed out to draw the monster into himself. It howled once, then vanished.

Mirajane held her breath. _Did – did he do it?_ she wondered, staggering toward her brother. Then Elfman screamed, a sound like pain given form. "No," she gasped, only able to watch as her brother's body twisted and grew, becoming the Beast King. _It took over him._ She tried to gather her magic, but her Satan Soul wouldn't obey. "Jellal, take Lisanna and go," she ordered.

"I'll contact her, tell her to retreat," Jellal replied, moving to remain between Mirajane and Beast Elfman. "You're going to need my help to get Elfman back."

Those words killed her retort before it formed. She looked from Jellal – Erza's brilliant, fragile love – to the monstrosity her brother had become. _One hit and it'll kill him._ Mirajane's legs shook from the effort of standing. _I can't save Elfman without him._ She hissed in a breath between clenched teeth. "Do it. Then we need a plan."

With a nod, Jellal took to the sky, firing one last Starburst volley into Beast Elfman's face before darting back. _Okay. All on me, now._ She shuddered, watching in horror as Elfman's warped body roared at the heavens once more. _Tch. It was all on me from the moment I got the Beast's attention._ Pouring all her effort into gathering her magic, Mirajane pounded the earth and demanded, "Take Over - Satan Soul!"

The transformation was slow and unstable, but she held on long enough to toughen her body and gather Darkness Magic around her fists. "Evil Explosion!" she chanted, black spheres of destruction erupting around her brother. The Beast King reeled, but wasted no time striking back. Mirajane barely evaded the next punch, a massive crater forming where she'd stood. "Elfman, snap out of it! It's me! Mirajane! _Elfman!"_ Mirajane shouted.

His tail caught her off-guard, slamming into her stomach and throwing her into the mountainside. _Ow._ Shaking, her wings and tail absent from her Take Over, Mira still stood. _I have to think of something._ Again, she held out her hands. "Evil Spark!" she chanted, and the Beast King twitched from the blow. _Maybe that's–_

The next blow threw her into the trees, her Take Over form lost again. Her vision unfocused, her magic expended, Mirajane was only able to rise to her knees. _ow._ She tried to reach Jellal's mind, but her own thoughts were barely coherent. "Elfman, pull yourself together," she called. He – it – ignored her, stomping forward.

"Mira-nee!" Lisanna flew over. "Jellal and I evacuated the town. What happened here?"

"Run, Lisanna!" Mirajane ordered. "I was careless. Even Jellal and I together couldn't stop it, so Elfman tried to Take Over the Beast to protect us." Lisanna gasped. "But its magic is too powerful. Elfman's lost control! "

"Oh, no!" Lisanna gasped, helping Mirajane to her feet. "What's going to happen to him?"

Mirajane glanced at the broken magic circles. "If he doesn't come to his senses, the monster will take permanent control of Elfman. Get Jellal back here, then _run."_

For the first time since Mirajane could remember, Lisanna didn't listen to her. Instead, she looked into the eyes of the thing that had been their brother, lowered Mirajane gently to the ground, then walked straight to it. "Lisanna! What are you doing?!"

"What's the matter, big brother?" Lisanna called, standing calmly in front of the Beast King. _No, Lisanna, get away!_ Mirajane watched, paralyzed, as Lisanna tried to talk sense to Elfman, working to reach him, spreading her arms wide. It cocked its head at her, as if it didn't understand what was happening. Then it raised an arm. _NO!_ Lisanna didn't move. "Now let's go home, Elf-nii-chan." She smiled.

Elfman swung with the force of a train. Mirajane tried to move, but her body wouldn't respond. There was a flash of light, then a crack like the earth tearing open. Mirajane screamed.

**Music Cue: Fairy Tail Theme - Tenrou Island ver.**

Then the light faded, and Jellal was there, one hand held out to stop the blow. Lisanna had fallen over and was clutching her left arm, but she was _alive._ Somehow, Mirajane found the energy to stumble towards them. _"Lisanna!"_

"Pull her back, Mirajane," Jellal whispered, and the column of blue light erupted from him again. "I'll help Elfman." _Did I think he was fragile?_ Mirajane wondered, staring in disbelief, as Gentle Jellal, Erza's shy bookworm, forced Beast Elfman back. With strength she didn't know she had, Mirajane rushed to Lisanna, put her shoulders under her sister's right arm, and helped Lisanna retreat. "Lisanna, stay put this time."

"Elfman..." Lisanna whispered, gritting her teeth. _Left arm's broken,_ Mirajane decided, noting her sister keeping her arm at her side. _That was from the shockwave alone. If its blow had landed..._ Meanwhile, Jellal flew around Elfman, hitting him repeatedly with Meteor. "Jellal won't hurt him, will he?"

"I don't think he can, Lisanna," Mirajane reassured her, hauling her back. They watched, keeping each other upright, while Jellal unleashed spell after spell on Elfman. "Besides, he's using his weaker magics. Starburst, Cosmic Fireworks, Meteor – none of those will harm Elfman now."

"But why?" Lisanna winced as Elfman landed another vicious blow on Jellal, but the golden blur kept striking as though nothing had happened. Their brother's swings were furious, more rapid yet less accurate. "Wait – is he wearing Elf-nii down?"

Mirajane's eyes widened. "No – he's wearing the _Beast_ down! Since it's the one in control, it's the one weakening! And if he wears it down enough–"

They said it together. "Elfman will Take Over!" They held one another, looking on with desperate hope. Again and again, Jellal struck the Beast King – in the eyes, in the ears, in the belly and elbows and knees. With every blow the monster became more mindless in its assault, flailing with growing, maddened wrath.

Then it unleashed another gout of explosive force, and Jellal went flying. "No," Mirajane whispered. The Beast King fell to its knees, shaking, one hand slamming to the ground. "Lisanna, please, stay here." She lowered her sister to the ground, then let go.

"But–!" Lisanna didn't cry, but she did clutch her broken arm, holding it still.

"If I don't do something, we're going to lose one of them. I won't let that happen." Though it felt like her whole body was a wound, at least three of her ribs broken, Mirajane stood. There wasn't enough magic left in her to do what she needed, but it didn't matter. _I'll get it from the broken circles, or the air, or from my very life._  She narrowed her eyes at the monster that was trying to take her family. Jellal's golden Meteor flame erupted from the mountain again, and the Beast King stared, jaw dropping. _I am a Fairy Tail wizard, and you have my brother!_ With the last of her strength, she held up her arms. "Take Over - Satan Soul!"

It was not a spell to be cast twice in succession, let alone three times. Yet there was magic around her, and she forced it to obey. Her body transformed, and though she still lacked wings and tail, it was enough. "Darkness Stream!" she chanted.

The tendrils rose and pinned the weakened Beast to the ground. Again, it roared. Jellal moved with such speed that Mirajane couldn't track him, racing all over Elfman's body. Its tail lashed out and struck Jellal in the chest, and the She-Demon heard ribs crack, but he slid to a halt by Mirajane's side. "Star Cage!" he chanted, and once again their magics joined together. _It's not a Unison Raid, but it should be enough. Please, Zen, let it be enough._

Even battered, confused, and rippling with Elfman's Take Over trying to contain it, the Beast King strained against its bonds. Mirajane's legs shook, and she thought she was going to collapse again. Jellal also shuddered, coughing up a trickle of blood, but his outstretched arm continued to shed light, his Star Cage holding Elfman in place.

Then the magic circles Jellal had drawn during his attacks erupted all over Elfman – across his back, along his arms, down his legs, and on his forehead. The monster's thrashing redoubled, and their magic buckled under the strain. "Do you trust me?" Jellal asked, his left arm holding his ribs. Mira could sense that at least three were broken.

"You just saved Lisanna," Mirajane replied, jaw set. With that, Jellal took off again, Star Cage shattering the moment he stopped concentrating on it. Five times he stopped under the Beast to strike at it, but again he paid the price, its free arm smashing him back and into the earth. Jellal's body crackled with the sound of a dozen branches snapping at once, and Mira clamped her mouth shut to avoid screaming. Her Take Over vanished again, this time as unreachable as the moon.

Then Jellal staggered up to one knee, ignoring several broken bones, and held his right arm up, palm directed skyward. _Wait, five seals? Jellal, you can't possibly have enough magic left to–!_ Yet the seals formed a star beneath Elfman, and the Beast stared at the ground, jaw dropping. "Fixed light of Heaven, guide us to victory!" Jellal chanted. _"Polaris!"_

A pinpoint scarlet light birthed a sapphire sphere the size of the Beast's chest. Jellal threw it above Elfman, where it hammered down on him. The spell slammed him to the ground, and he thrashed helplessly. Then the sphere erupted in a blinding, cleansing light. _It's not Fairy Law, but if any of Jellal's spells will help Elfman now..._ When the blast faded, Jellal used Meteor to stand upright, good arm raised, sapphire light gathering in his palm. "Well?" the Starburst called.

The Beast wailed one last time, then shrunk into Elfman's true form. He was battered, his clothes were in shreds, and his shoes were gone, but her brother was breathing, whole, _alive._ Mirajane ran towards him, helping him up with her good arm while he stared around, confused. "Mirajane? What happened?" He looked at his free hand, arm shaking. "What did I do?"

Mirajane hugged him, crying freely. "Nothing we can't fix, little brother." She smiled at Jellal while Lisanna ran over, hugging him from behind with her unbroken arm. "Let's go home, okay?"

"Mira...Lisanna..." Elfman held them and wept, falling to his knees. In their current conditions, neither sister could hold their enormous brother up, and they sank down with him as he bawled.

Mirajane sighed, patting him on the back. "It's okay, Elfman. Right, Jellal?" Her smile faded when she realized he hadn't moved. "Blue? Answer me."

Jellal smiled at them, eyes rolling back, then collapsed. Mirajane's eyes widened, the horror she'd set aside returned, redoubled. _"Jellal!"_


	30. Vol. 7, Ch. 5

Earthland-2, Shirotsume Hospital, X782: Erza

"Where is he?" Erza burst through the hospital doors, a line of wizards behind her. She forced herself to maintain a mask of cool reserve. Given the way her heart threatened to pound out of her chest, the requip mage wasn't sure she'd succeeded.

"Where's who?" a bored nurse asked, his face hidden behind a copy of _Sorcerer Weekly._

It was annoyingly easy to get past the nurse's defenses to grab him by his collar and haul him into the air. _This hospital's security is lacking,_ Erza thought, glaring at the suddenly pale and whimpering nurse. "Jellal Fernandes. Where. Is. He?!"

"Room 303, third floor, please don't hurt me!" the nurse babbled. Dropping him, Erza marched towards the stairs, absently noting Natsu chuckling and Laxus' "tch" of disapproval at the nurse.

Ultear quickened her pace to join Erza. "Don't you think that was a bit much?" the space mage asked, lips tight and drawn.

"No, " Erza replied, taking the stairs two at a time. _He should be at Porlyusica's. I don't like this place._ Memories of the refugee camp they'd briefly inhabited flickered through her mind – blank, sterile walls run by people in blank, sterile clothes with blank, sterile hearts. She reached the third floor before her thoughts could grow any darker.

Throwing the door open, she caught sight of Mirajane standing next to a door, eyes staring into nothing while a nurse with pink hair pleaded with her to return to her own room. "I'm fine," Mirajane whispered, ignoring the casts around her arm and chest. She turned when Erza started walking towards her, then flinched and lowered her gaze. "Erza..."

"What happened?" Erza demanded.

"Yeah," Millianna chimed in, leaping to the knight's side. "Where's nii-san?"

Mirajane turned her whole body away from the gathered Fairy Tail wizards, head still bowed. "The Beast was too strong for me. I underestimated it, and we almost lost Elfman and Lisanna. But Jellal – he – he –!" Erza clenched a fist, her entire body trembling with the effort to contain herself. _You arrogant, idiotic, useless –_

Then a drop splashed at Mirajane's feet. Another. "Erza, please, don't blame Elfman or Lisanna. It wasn't their fault..." Another tear fell. Mirajane shook, face hidden by a shroud of hair. "I did this..."

"Erza," Natsu prodded. The knight realized her trembling had stopped, her fist unclenched. _What would Jellal do?_ Erza wondered. She walked over to Mirajane and turned her around to face them. Mirajane's eyes met Erza's, beyond fear, drowned in guilt and shame. Erza hugged her, wrapping her arms around her old rival, careful to avoid further damage to her broken arm or ribs.

Mirajane let out a gasp so soft Erza almost missed it. Then the infamous Demon began to cry, coming out as sniffles at first, but growing in the span of a minute into wracking, broken sobs. Erza kept holding her, allowing her comrade to let out her grief. "Erza – I'm so _sorry–!"_

"I know," Erza whispered back. Mirajane let go, leaning against the wall and holding her face in her good hand. "What about Elfman and Lisanna?"

"Lisanna has a fractured arm," Mira explained, still not looking at any of them. "Wendy can fix that in five minutes. "Elfman kept a few of the blows the Beast took, but all he's really suffering from is a bad Take Over. He'll be better in a few days. They're going to be all right."

Erza managed a smile. "Good," she replied, patting Mirajane on the shoulder. Then she turned to the pink-haired woman. "Jellal?"

The nurse gave Erza a gentle smile that made her feel better in an instant. "Are you close to the patient?"

"We've known each other most of our lives," Erza explained. Mirajane dropped her hand and nodded to the nurse as well.

The nurse sighed. "Follow me, please." She walked into room 303, Erza following until the nurse stepped aside. She took one more step in, laid eyes on Jellal, and froze, hands going to her mouth. _No. No. No, no, no...._

He was swaddled in bandages, most of his chest covered in a single brace. There was a lacrima in the brace, glowing a faint, ominous crimson. Both legs were in splints, as was his left arm. A patch covered Jellal's right eye so completely that Erza couldn't see his birthmark beneath it. His skin was tinged the telltale green of Magic Deficiency. His breathing was ragged and labored.

"The Medical Guild doesn't like the term 'critical but stable,'" the nurse explained, "but that's how I would categorize his state. He's severely injured and suffering from grave ethernano loss, but from the moment he was able to get secure bed rest, his magic intake and vital signs began to show signs of recovery."

"Thank you, miss," Erza whispered, arms dropping. She felt stabbed through the chest. Carefully, she walked towards him, her guildmates following until the room was nearly full.

"Can you make room for Wendy?" Carla sighed, flying overhead. "Sheesh!"

The mages parted for the girl, who entered slowly. Even Happy was looking at the young Sky Dragon Slayer, Carla almost forgotten – something Erza had never seen. "Um, where's..." Wendy looked around, then gasped at the sight of Jellal. The girl rushed to his side, hands glowing pale green the moment she was close. "Jellal! Oh no! Please don't die!"

Natsu put a hand on her shoulder. "Jellal's strong, Wendy. He's a Fairy Tail wizard. He'll make it." Wendy looked up at him, and the boy smiled his enormous, face-consuming smile. "Besides, Erza would be mad! He's too smart to let that happen."

"I...hope so..." Jellal whispered. Erza rushed to his side, looking him over. _Mavis, he's a mess,_ she thought, sensing that his flow of ethernano was sluggish and erratic, even with Wendy helping. He half-opened his good eye, scanning the room. "Lisanna...Elfman...are they–"

"They're fine," Mirajane replied, the crowd letting her approach. "Wendy can take care of them both when you're better." She smiled, tears streaming down her cheeks again. "You saved them. You saved all of us. Now rest, you idiot."

"Mmm." Jellal sighed, closing his eye again. "The town?"

"It's fine," Mirajane continued, shaking her head. "The Beast never got close, thanks to you."

"Jellal." Master Makarov hopped onto a nearby stool, looking the wounded mage over. "Stop worrying about others for a few days. You've done well. Sleep now." Makarov passed a hand over Jellal's face, and the younger man snored gently. "My, my. He does push himself."

"Th-that's Jellal for you," Happy sniffed, wiping away tears.

Mirajane retreated as the nurse urged the visitors to take turns, and the guild began to stream out. "Erza," the Take Over Sibling whispered, and the knight went to her side. "I'll never let this happen again. I'm going to be different. Better. _I promise."_ They left the room, then froze.

"It's a little late for that." Siegrain glared at them from the opposite wall, arms crossed. "What did you do to my _brother,_ you obscene She-Devil?"

Erza turned to admonish Mirajane not to fight in the hospital, but froze at the sight of her. Instead of ferocity or even a defensive stance, Mira lowered her head, the only thing between her and Siegrain the arm in its sling. "I...I..." The once-proud Demon trembled, jaw quivering, tears returning. "I have no defense. I cannot even beg your forgiveness–!" Siegrain's glower only deepened, and he took a step towards Mirajane.

Erza darted in front of her, arms outstretched. "Siegrain, don't," she whispered. Mirajane gasped. "Jellal wouldn't want this. You know that."

She watched as Siegrain walked right up to her, desperately wanting to requip into stronger armor, knowing it would only make things worse. "I grow weary of watching Jellal suffer because of you and your friends, you blood-haired monster," he hissed. Mirajane swallowed and tried to step around Erza, but Titania moved her arm to head the Demon off. "I used to think that the _rest_ of Fairy Tail was good for him at least, but this?" He waved at the hospital room, eyes burning as they bore into Erza's.

"Please, it's not her fault," Mirajane stammered.

"I am sick beyond reckoning of those words," Siegrain snarled, fists clenched at his sides. "Did you know, Scarlet, that I'm going to test for Wizard Saint next year? I'll be the youngest in history if I pass. I think I'm going to make it." He leaned closer, and Erza could feel the heat of his breath. "Jellal's at least my equal. _He_ should be earning these accolades. He could be a Rune Knight Captain. Design new lacrima systems. Join the Wizard Saints. Live in our manor. Hunt down Dark Guilds by day and dance with royalty by night. He should live as good a life as mine – no, _better,_ because I wouldn't be half what I am without him."

"We are all blessed to have Jellal in our lives," Erza replied, voice softer than she wished.

"You," Siegrain rumbled, pointing at her. "He's a Fairy Tail wizard because of _you._ Following after you, your pathetic Tower friends, your pet moron Salamander, cleaning up the messes your guild leaves behind, constantly apologizing and fixing where you insult and break..." He closed his eyes, then took a step back. "Oh, Miss Ur and her kids play a role, no doubt. I'll never forget who saved him." His eyes flashed open again. "But I swear, this is the last time–"

Electricity snapped and ozone wafted past. Laxus sauntered over. Siegrain glared at him. "Hey," the lightning mage said, shrugging, "I get it. They're weak. It's frustrating. And Mirajane? Didn't see that coming." He met Siegrain's burning gaze with cool resolve. "Only one thing here matters. Jellal wants to be in Fairy Tail. Get used to it."

Siegrain stepped right up to Laxus. "No. I can't force him out of your reckless band of idiots, but rest assured I'm going to do everything in my power to convince him to leave."

Laxus blinked at the white-clad wizard, then chuckled. "Good luck with that." He turned and walked away, waving as he went. Siegrain crossed his arms and watched the lightning mage leave.

"You have the right to say what you wish to your brother," Erza whispered, even as her entire being howled in terrified denial, "but is this really the time? Jellal needs peace to recover. Can we declare a truce for that long, at least?"

Siegrain turned his glare back on Erza and Mirajane. Erza tried to ignore the gathering audience of orderlies and Fairy Tail wizards. "Very well," he said at last, and Erza shrank in relief. "When he's better, though...." Without saying another word, Siegrain stormed off, heading downstairs.

"Mmm," Makarov sighed, watching the departure with chin in hand and a grave look on his face. "I fear Siegrain may become trouble one day."

"I think today is that day, Master," Ur replied, eyes flickering from hospital room to stairwell.

To Erza's surprise, Master Makarov smiled up at the ice wizard. "Nonsense, my dear Ur. Today is a good day." He pointed skyward. "Everybody lived!"

Erza sniffled, smiled, and nodded. "Mm!"


	31. Vol. 8, Ch. 1

**Volume Eight: The End Is Where We Begin**

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Training Ground, X782: Jellal

The floating chair moved into position with a gesture. Jellal's right hand hovered over the round lacrima, directing it with simple movements and a minimum of ethernano. _It's perfect, as long as you don't mind moving at infant speeds,_ he mused, glancing at the cast that held most of his body still. _Without Wendy, I'd probably never fully heal. I need to do something nice for her when I'm better._ The star mage looked up.

A sizeable group of Fairy Tail wizards looked back, most of them with eager grins. _Even Natsu's here,_ Jellal noticed, _and his presence at one of my classes usually involves Erza and dragging._ He cleared his throat. "You're probably wondering," he began, "why a man with four-fifths of his body covered in plaster is running a combat lesson."

"You're Jellal," Gray replied to a few chuckles.

"You'll explain it to us," Natsu added, smile growing. "Some of us might even be awake when you're done." There were several laughs at that.

"Natsu!" Erza snapped, and the field went silent. Jellal sighed, and she was at his side in an instant. "They're ready for you," she said, still glaring at Natsu and Gray.

"I hope so." He grinned, then took out another lacrima and concentrated. An all-blue thought projection formed in the sparring circle. "That image," he explained, "is entirely made of Wave Magic. You'll be fighting it."

"All right!" Natsu exulted, pounding his fists together. "I'm all fired up!"

"Magic training is manly!" Elfman added, fist punching the air.

Jellal blinked. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked.

Several of the students groaned, as did Erza. "Elfman's been like this since the day after he got back from the hospital. He said Natsu gave him a pep talk," Titania explained.

"It's his dandy new catchphrase," Wally added.

Gray chuckled. "You're one to talk, Wally."

"It's not dandy," Elfman barked, hands on his hips as he glared at Wally, "it's manly!"

"It sounds dandy to me," Wally quipped, tilting his hat at a rakish angle.

"Manly!" Elfman insisted.

"Dandy," Wally retorted.

_"Manly!"_ Elfman roared.

_"Dandy,"_ Wally grinned.

Jellal whistled. Loudly. Wally ducked, hiding his expression under the brim of his hat. Elfman snorted and crossed his arms. "Natsu, what did you do?" Jellal sighed.

_"Me?"_ Natsu pointed at himself and gaped. "Elfman was feeling down, so I told him to snap out of it, that's all."

"I learned the importance of being a real man, like Mirajane and Lisanna," Elfman explained, smiling proudly at his little sister. Lisanna facepalmed.

"If we can move on," Jellal jumped in before the madness could erupt again. _The most patient person I know is already at her wit's end,_ he realized, heart sinking. _It's going to be a long day._ With a gesture, he poured his sluggish ethernano into the projection lacrima, focusing on control over his doppelganger. "Wave Magic is the most universally effective style when dealing with multiple types of wizardry, but it isn't the only one. And," he continued, turning a pointed gaze on Natsu, "there are times when 'punch it in the face' isn't a viable option."

"When?" Natsu demanded, crossing his arms. Several others laughed.

Jellal raised an eyebrow. "When your target doesn't have a face, to start with." More laughter. "Against an intangible foe. If your enemy takes control of a friend. An opponent with speed-enhancing magic can be particularly troublesome, so I'm told." The laughter vanished. "Fortunately, nearly any style of magic can be used to counter another, and I've never known an Art that couldn't be used for defense." His double stepped into the circle. _I am patient. I am calm. I am serene._ And just like that, Jellal mastered himself. "One of the greatest dangers any mage can face is a counter-magic effect like Sealing Stone or Wave Magic. Power alone won't help against my double. You'll have to focus your magic on repelling its innate suppression effect."

"Sure, let's go!" Natsu cried, his smile impossibly wide.

Jellal shrugged as much as his cast allowed. "Unless someone objects, you can be first." It took an effort not to smile as the other prospective students backed away. Somehow, having the double to himself only made Natsu more eager. "Ready? And...begin!"

With a burst of flame and force, Natsu leaped at the projection, fists blazing. Jellal concentrated, and his image flickered out of Salamander's path. The Dragon Slayer's expression went from "fired up" to "oh crap" at Meteor speeds. Wave-Jellal punched Natsu into the air with a powerful uppercut, then shot above him and slammed the boy back to earth. Natsu's raging fires had been reduced to candle-flickers by landfall. "Take note," Jellal explained, "that every blow from a Wave duplicate will weaken your magic unless you find a way to counter it. Further, they are not limited by my own weakened state. There are crystals around the training field projecting my doppelgangers at full strength. Now. Shall we try again?"

Natsu leaped to his feet, shaking off the blows and dirt and grinning again. The others nodded with more sober expressions. "Good. Begin!"

For the next hour, the training session went more or less as Jellal had expected: large amounts of flailing around with occasional bouts of his guildmates paying attention. "Gray, mold the magic, not just the ice," he called out at one point. "Shou, power can go out of your cards as well as in. Use it!" Jellal tried at another. "Ultear, Arc magic always leaves ripples, control them."

He'd never been more frustrated by winning. Few of them were still fighting by the end of the hour. _Maybe this was a waste of time...wait._ Wendy was still in the ring, her support magic rippling out, doing more good than anyone else's. Jellal tapped Erza's gauntlet and pointed to the Sky Dragon Slayer. After a moment, Erza nodded. "Go," Titania agreed.

All at once, three Wave forms flew at Wendy. The girl yelped and fled, dodging her assailants. "Help!" she blurted. _Sorry, little one,_ Jellal thought, eyes darting to Natsu as the fire mage tried to play big brother, _but you need to do this yourself._ Two more copies hit him from opposite sides, finally knocking the magic out of him. Ultear moved to help, so he turned the extra copies on her. "Jellal, what do I do?" Wendy cried.

"Your support magic is perfect for helping others against them," he explained, "but you need to defend yourself as well. Combine it with your wind magic."

"How?" Wendy cried, barely evading the increasing onslaught.

"You're ready, Wendy. It's time to roar." Jellal gripped the armrest with his good hand. _Come on, you can do it._

"I can't!" the girl wailed.

Jellal leaned forward as much as his cast allowed. "You _can,"_ he insisted. "Just like Natsu taught you, child of Grandine! _Roar!"_

Wendy's eyes bulged wide, and she gasped. "Sky Dragon's–" she breathed, gulping, then exhaling as she shouted, "–ROAR!"

The storm she unleashed surged with as much magical fury as wind's. All three Wave forms shattered like stage glass. "Off," Jellal commanded, and the remaining combat copies vanished. He smiled. "Well done, Sky Dragon Slayer!"

The gathered wizards cheered, Natsu rushing over and hosting Wendy onto his shoulders. "That's showing those wave-crystal-things!" the older Slayer cheered, and Wendy smiled, twiddling her fingers and blushing a bit.

Erza patted Jellal on the shoulder. "Well done, Starburst," she whispered, her lips nearly touching his ear. Jellal's blush was deeper than Wendy's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOTATION: This volume is named for the song of the same name, though only because the title itself is appropriate, not necessarily the entire song.


	32. Vol. 8, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X783: Meredy

The young Mental Magic wizard stared around the guild in awe, watching the mages laugh, play, and fight throughout the hall. The weight of her twin suitcases, so exhausting a few minutes before, seemed to have vanished.

"Look, there I am! I'm joining Fairy Tail!" Meredy thought she heard, but the voice was her own and it seemed impossibly far away. "Ooo, I was cute!"

"Yes you were," an older woman said. "Now hush."

"Did anyone else hear something?" A beautiful woman with violet hair asked, but the other wizards just ignored her – except for Jellal, who turned from where he was talking to Loke and looked in their direction. Meredy blushed. _He noticed me – oh Zen, he noticed me!_ The violet-haired woman strode over, then bent to meet her eyes and smiled. _It's Ultear! Wow, she's gotten even more elegant,_ Meredy thought, suddenly feeling awkward. "Meredy, right? Your mom sent a letter."

The pink-haired girl bit her lip and looked away. "I – I wanted it to be a surprise," she muttered. "You probably don't remember me anyway..."

"Of course we do," Jellal replied, and Meredy's heart leaped into her throat. "Meredy Goto, isn't it? You were that talented child in Saori." He smiled down at her, making her suitcases float with a gesture. "Haven't you grown!" _He remembers me!_

"You used to write all the time," Ultear added, giving the Mind Mage a gentle shake. "I was worried when you stopped. I'm glad you followed your dream."

"I've been studying hard," Meredy explained, hands suddenly twisting. _Get a grip, Meredy! Fairy Tail wizards are cool, strong, awesome – that's what you've got to be._ She straightened, then bowed to the mages. "I bel – I _have_ what it takes to join Fairy Tail!"

The entire guild hall froze. Meredy's eyes went wide, and she felt warm. Everyone was staring. _Oh Zen. Did I just ruin it?_ Then a tiny old man – Master Makarov Dreyar himself – laughed, almost waddling over to her. "That's the spirit! Welcome to Fairy Tail, young lady."

"Aye!" the whole guild agreed.

Meredy blinked in astonishment. "Just like that? Don't you have tests, or trials, or...something?"

Makarov guided her over to a white-haired barmaid in a sun dress. "My dear, the only things you need to join Fairy Tail are magic and heart." He chuckled and leaped onto a bar stool. "And the magic is negotiable. Ha ha!"

"So," the white-haired woman, whose smile reminded Meredy of her mother's, asked, "where would you like your guild mark?

A few minutes later, Meredy was looking in the mirror at the bright blue Fairy Tail symbol on her right shoulder, smiling in spite of how uncertain she felt. _She just stamped my arm. Like it was no big deal._ She pulled her cloak over the mark, turning back to the barmaid, only to find her serving as bartender. "What are you two talking about, Loke? Honestly," the lady sighed.

"Jellal's just helping me with a flaw in my Ring Magic," Loke explained. "I'm leaking a bit of ethernano." Jellal glanced at his famous friend, but Loke raised an eyebrow, and the blue-haired hero said nothing.

"By the way, Erza should be back soon," the woman added. Loke smirked.

Jellal blushed slightly. "Th-thanks, Mirajane," he stammered, retreating to a bench and hiding behind a book. Meredy gaped, jaw dropping. _That's She-Devil Mirajane?!_ Meredy thought, staring in shock.

Mirajane, still smiling with a kind, welcoming air, walked over to Meredy, who shook her head and composed herself. "Do you need anything, Meredy?"

"I...guess I'm going to need a place to stay?" Meredy asked, blinking at the woman.

Mirajane thought about that, then nodded. "Fairy Hills," she said. "You're too young for boys to be coming over anyway." She winked.

"I – I'm not that young," Meredy muttered, twiddling her fingers.

To her astonishment, Mirajane laughed, but Meredy didn't feel mocked or made fun of. "Oh, don't worry about it, sweetie. To be honest, a boy you like won't be a problem, even at Fairy Hills." She folded her arms, looking almost serene, and scanned the guild hall. "You couldn't tell from the current state of madness, but this guild's become a sea of raging hormones in the last year." Her smile slipped when her eyes fell back to Jellal. "Though the most obvious couple seems to need a little help, because the great and talented Erza Scarlet is denser than lead." She looked away, and Meredy felt her attention wander. "Honestly, he finally pours his heart out to her, and she doesn't even realize it. At this rate, I'm going to have to drop a piano on that woman."

Meredy's eyes dropped. "So Jellal has...he's..." she muttered. _I'm such an idiot,_ she thought, sighing.

Mirajane put an arm around her shoulders, and again Meredy was reminded of her mother. "Sorry, Meredy, but those two are puzzle pieces that fit together. Once Erza gets a clue, you won't be able to separate them with a lacrima bomb."

"Does our favorite bluenette boy have another fan?" Ultear asked, walking over. She smiled at Meredy and rubbed her head, mussing her hair a bit. "Though it makes even more sense for her."

"I – I guess Fairy Hills will be all right," Meredy agreed, "if I can afford it."

"I'll cover her first month," Ultear replied. Meredy opened her mouth to object, but the space wizard held up her hand. "You can pay me back after your first few missions if you insist. In fact, why don't I take you on my next one?" She turned a cool gaze on a large, muscular man wearing a sleeveless T-shirt and pants with lots of pockets. He was talking to another woman with violet hair, that one wearing a sword on her hip. "My boyfriend's being stupid anyway."


	33. Vol. 8, Ch. 3

Earthland-1, Worth Woodsea, X790: Ultear

"PAUSE!" Ultear shouted, slapping the crystal. The image froze.

Meredy snickered. "Ultear has a _boyfriend."_ She subsided at a glance from Jellal. "What'd I say?"

Ultear's eye twitched at the image of her younger self eyeing Simon with annoyance. "It's not your fault, Meredy. If it's anyone's, it's mine." She grimaced. "I've just decided I believe in karma."

"Perhaps we should skip ahead again," Jellal gently suggested.

"Unless Erza needs help with that density," Meredy giggled. Ultear smiled. _Bless you both,_ she thought.

"Erza's very insightful," Jellal insisted. "I imagine that, in their world, things are simply – awkward between them, after spending an entire childhood as friends."

"Awkward," Ultear drawled, returning her attention to the lacrima. "Sure." _Maybe I should take a look._ She glanced at Jellal out of the corner of her eyes. _He'll probably feel better if they get together naturally._ The time mage performed a few extra gestures as she restarted their monitoring. _Still, it wouldn't hurt to make sure there's a ringer._


	34. Vol. 8, Ch. 4

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X784: Lucy

_There isn't one sane person here!_ Lucy (Heartfilia, though she wasn't going to tell _them_ that, thank you very much) stared at the chaos that had erupted through the guild. "Oh, are you new here?" she heard behind her, and Lucy turned.

There stood Mirajane Strauss, _the_ Mirajane Strauss, holding a tray and smiling like an angel. Lucy knew she was staring like a yokel – and maybe a little like a perv – but she found it hard to care. "Yeah, Natsu brought her in," a man's voice called over before Lucy could respond. She turned, and thought her jaw would drop out of her head. _Siegrain? Here? No, wait – that's his brother!_ She gasped, eyes twinkling. _Jellal the Starburst, Shield of Fiore!_ He nodded, waving to Lucy. "It's nice to finally meet you."

Lucy looked from the two friendly souls regarding her with such warm smiles, to the absolute chaos behind them, and back. "You're – you're – eek!" Lucy blurted as Jellal zipped past them, catching Mr. Manly before he could crash into Mirajane. "Too close!"

"Mirajane." Jellal sighed and crossed his arms. "Should I do something about this before the Master shows up?"

"Don't worry about it, Jellal," Mirajane replied, smile growing. "It's more lively this way, don't you think?"

Lucy's eyes bulged, her arms dangling limp at her sides. _Even...Even Mirajane..._ Still, Lucy worked to say something. Crazy or not, she was still Mirajane. "I...um...it's so great to meet you!" Lucy said, bowing quickly. Mirajane giggled and guided Lucy towards a shadowed corner of the guild. There, a semi-circle rippled through the air, and what looked like a whole other guild could be seen on the other side. At first, they looked more normal, but then a gun-toting man with a face made of cubes turned and winked at her. "Blocky!" Lucy yelped.

Mirajane giggled again. "You might want to stay in Cait Shelter at first...but I don't think so."

Lucy ducked as the almost-naked guy flew past, crashing into the wall. "Really?" she asked. Mirajane nodded. "I'm not sure about–"

"Miss," the almost-naked guy said, munching on an ice cube – then Lucy realized he was _all_ naked, with Natsu twirling his boxers – "could you lend me some underwear?"

So clearly, the only thing to do was hit him with the nearest rubble. "Take a hike!" Lucy snapped, knocking him into the wall. Mirajane giggled again, and Lucy knew she was turning bright red. "Um...sorry?" she mumbled, dropping her stick and twiddling her fingers.

Loke, whom she had already crossed off her "best possible boyfriends" list, took that moment to show up and scoop her into his arms. Then "Manly" pounded him, Natsu pounded Manly, and they were off and running again. Blocky, a blond with a deck of cards, a cat girl, and a muscle man almost as big as Manly were all laughing on the other side of the gate. The blond suddenly looked surprised, then rushed through the gateway towards the battle. Muscle man sighed and facepalmed.

Just as things looked like they were about to escalate from brawl to magical showdown, a horned giant entered, stamping his foot. The whole crowd did the first sensible thing Lucy had seen them do, freezing the instant he appeared. "That's enough, you brats!" he roared. Jellal smiled, pressing fingertips to his forehead.

Mirjane smiled up at him. "Oh, you're still here, Master?" Lucy, who'd thought she was out of shock to have, gaped at the nodding titan, speechless. _Master?!_

Everyone else backed away, except Natsu, who laughed. "What a bunch of wimps! Looks like I win this–" he said, only to be cut off when the guild master _stepped_ on him.

When Lucy squeaked in terror, Master Giant looked at her. "Oh, are you new here?" Lucy nodded, just barely managing to not hide behind Mirajane. The shadowed giant shrank, and shrank, then shrank some more, until he was less than half Lucy's size. He looked like a friendly old man, and his "horns" turned out to be some odd hat. "Nice ta meetcha!" he said with a wave.

"Tiny!" Lucy blurted, then stared, almost beyond shock. "H-he's your master?"

While Mirajane introduced Master Makarov, the diminutive old man leaped up to a balcony, berating the guild for the destruction they'd caused and the number of complaints he'd received from the Magic Council. To ensure they had an idea what he was dealing with, he waved a stack of papers nearly the size of his chest. _Wow,_ Lucy thought, looking from the Master to Fernandes and back. _You'd think one of their aces having a brother on the Council would help._ She gulped. _Wait, maybe this is with help!_ At least the mages around her had the self-awareness to look down, seeming abashed, except for Jellal and Mirajane, who just smiled at the others. Then Lucy gasped as Master Makarov set the whole stack on fire. "To Grim with the Council!" the old man grinned, tossing the burning stack aside. Natsu leaped and ate the falling flames, catching them in his mouth like a dog snatching a treat from the air.

Then he gave a speech on magic – what it is, what it means – that taught Lucy more than anything had since her mother's lessons. "If you fear the eyes watching from high above," he finished, "you will never truly advance in the arts of magic. Follow the path that you believe in! That's what Fairy Tail wizards do!" He pointed skyward in an odd way, thumb out, and the whole guild did the same as they cheered. All Lucy's doubts vanished. _This – this is where I belong!_

Within moments, she was admiring the pink guild mark on her hand, stamped there by Mirajane herself. "Now you're a member of Fairy Tail," the famous wizard said, still sharing that smile.

A woman who looked like a younger Mirajane walked in through the weird gate in the back of the guild. "Oh, did you come in with Natsu?" she asked. _Girlfriend?_ Lucy wondered. _I hope she's not jealous._ Then she clasped her hands and smiled. "I'm so glad! He's really sweet. Natsu would never admit it," she added, lowering her voice, "but he could use more friends." _If she is, he's really lucky._

"Maybe if he didn't beat them up all the time," Happy snickered. "Except for you, Lisanna. He _lllikes_ you."

Lisanna pouted, crossing her arms. "I've been training! Tell him, Jellal!" Lucy felt a sweat drop form on one side of her face. _Not sure which one of them's missing the point,_ she wondered.

The blue-haired hero chuckled. "It's true, Happy," Jellal said, the constellation of Virgo appearing over the palm he held out, a winged maiden taking form above it. "She's been working on combining her Transformation and Take Over magic."

Lucy stared at the stars glittering in Jellal's hand. "Are you a Celestial Spirit mage too?" she asked him, hand dropping to her keys.

"Mavis, no," Jellal insisted, smiling and waving in denial. The image vanished. "My Cosmic Magic is much more ordinary. Wizards like you and Lisanna are the ones who truly touch the heavens." Lucy gulped, feeling warm all over.

"My sister has a real gift," Mirajane added, putting an arm around Lisanna. "Her Heaven Soul form will surpass mine."

Lisanna blushed. "Mira-nee..." she mumbled, biting her lip and squeezing her hands together. "I haven't even made it work yet..." Lucy found herself staring again. _Mirajane's sister...wow..._

"I'm...going to see what Natsu's so busy with," Lucy stammered, then rushed over to the board where the Dragon Slayer had focused his attention. "Look, Natsu! My mark!"

"That's nice, Lisa," Natsu replied absently.

"I'm Lucy!" she snapped, glaring. Then she gasped, hands covering her mouth. "Don't tell me you're one of those guys who lures girls in then forgets them!"

Lisanna was there, chuckling, while Natsu blinked at them both, looking utterly clueless. "Natsu's not like that," she explained. "I don't think he even notices girls or boys that way."

"What difference does it make?" Natsu sighed, shrugging and returning to the guild board. "Family is family, and an enemy is an enemy. You fight the strong ones and go easy on the weak ones, and you always help _nakama_ in trouble." _Naka-what?_ Lucy wondered while Natsu shook his head. "I don't know why you have to hold back against weak enemies, though. Jellal is such a mom." Jellal fell off his bench with a crash while Mirajane and Lisanna laughed.

"Well, you are," Mirajane insisted to the rising Starburst.

Then a little boy with purple hair walked in, and her day's fate was sealed.

-FT- -FT- -FT-

Returning from the frozen mountaintop with Macao in tow and Romeo crying with joy, the terrors and hazards of their adventure seemed to melt away in the sunset. "Is this what it's like for Fairy Tail wizards all the time?"

"Aye!" Happy insisted. Natsu grinned and nodded.

Then the Dragon Slayer's smile vanished, and he sniffed the air. He crossed his arms, frowning. "It's not as much fun with a babysitter, though. Come on out, Jellal, I can smell you."

The cosmic mage raced around a corner with Meteor, then stopped ahead of them, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling sheepishly. "Even you get in over your head sometimes, Natsu. Besides, you had Lucy with you, and she's new."

Lucy frowned, hands dropping to her hips. "I'm not a child," she complained. "I know I don't have a lot of experience fighting monsters or kidnappers, but I'm a strong wizard! Look," she continued, showing Jellal her keys.

That got the attention of even a living legend, and Lucy felt her heart swell when Jellal whistled. "Three gold keys? I didn't think anyone in the world had that many." He chuckled. "No wonder Siegrain was bragging about you after your date."

Natsu blinked at her, and Lucy's heart leaped into her throat. _He – he knows who I am!_ she thought, eyes wide. "Oi. Jellal's creepy brother didn't do anything to you, did he?" the Dragon Slayer asked. Lucy sighed.

Jellal huffed and looked away. "Sieg's not that bad," he insisted.

"We went on one date," Lucy explained, rolling her eyes, secret identity forgotten. "One! He was fun and charming, when he wasn't too busy bragging or admiring himself." Jellal winced, covering his eyes. "I'm sorry!" she gasped, realizing she had just ragged on Jellal's brother right in front of him. "Siegrain wasn't mean or anything, really!"

"It's okay. I know my brother," Jellal sighed. "He's a good man in most ways, but there's no denying he thinks he's Chronos' gift to women. Did he make that awful 'Heavenly Body' pun at you?" Lucy laughed and nodded. "Still, you made an impression on him, and not just because you're Lucky Lu–"

Lucy clamped her hands over Jellal's mouth, laughing nervously. "Don't mind him," she said to Natsu and Happy, who were both looking at her with that same clueless expression they had when they weren't fighting or eating. "Siegrain likes to show off! That's all." Her laughter trailed off, while Jellal sighed again. _That...was completely pathetic..._ Lucy swallowed. _I am so busted!_

"Okay," Natsu said, turning and walking away. "Let us know if Siegrain bothers you again." He waved to her without looking back.

"Aye!" Happy added, flying alongside his partner.

Lucy watched them go, blinking in disbelief. _I can't believe that worked._ Jellal tapped her hand with one finger, and she let him go with a startled yelp, leaping away. "I'm sorry!" she gasped. "Just – please don't tell them who I am."

Jellal raised an eyebrow, not quite smiling. "Fairy Tail wizards come from every kind of background. Some of us had nothing. Others walked away from everything." He shrugged. "I'm both, in some ways. No one is going to care about the Heartfilia Concern in this guild."

"Please," she begged again, pressing her hands together for emphasis. "Not forever – just for a little while," Lucy added, knowing she was trembling, cursing her weakness. "I – I want them to get to know _me._ Not Lucky Lucy Heartfilia, but Lucy of Fairy Tail."

Jellal took in a breath, and Lucy froze, but then he sighed and deflated. "If that's your wish," he conceded, shrugging. "You only joined today, so I understand your concerns." He smiled again, and Lucy's legs got weak. "Besides, saving a guild mate on your first day is pretty impressive, even in Fairy Tail." Lucy felt like she was floating. _Jellal the Starburst is impressed – with me!_

"Okay!" She cheered, clasping his hand. "I'll tell them before the end of the year. I promise. Is that all right?"

"Of course," Jellal said, shaking her hand.

"Then just tell me one thing," Lucy continued, and Jellal raised an eyebrow. Her eyes gleamed. "Did you really save Princess Hisui from a dark wizard last year?"

Jellal stared at her, eyes round and mouth agape. _Is it that unusual a question?_ Lucy wondered. The Shield of Fiore recovered, exhaling. "She's a kind child," he explained, folding his arms and looking away, "with a tremendous gift." His voice lowered, jaw trembling so slightly Lucy almost missed it. "There are mages in this world who try to use such gifted children for their own ends." The famous Meteor spell came to life around him. "Please excuse me." With that, he took off with such speed she could have mistaken it for teleportation. Lucy blinked. _What did I say?_


	35. Vol. 8, Ch. 5

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X784: Mirajane

"This is bad!" Loke shouted, bursting back into the guild. "Erza's coming!"

_Oh, for..._ Mirajane sighed while her nakama rushed around, looking in private rooms, spying on the second floor with magic, and sticking their heads through the gate to Cait Shelter. _Here we go again._

"Erza?" Lucy asked. _Oh, right, Lucy's still new._ Mirajane smiled at her. "Natsu mentioned her yesterday. What's everyone doing?"

"Oh, don't mind them," Mirajane said, chuckling. "They're just looking for Jellal. Erza's strict about guild rules, but she's a bit more lenient when he's around."

"A bit?" Gray cut in, letting go of Natsu's collar. "Are you kidding? If Jellal's not here, she'll go on a rampage!"

Mirajane giggled as her guildmates muttered in fear about the returning wizard. "She's the strongest woman in the guild. Only the master and Gildarts are definitely stronger than Titania. Laxus and Jellal are probably at her level."

"Oh, she’s Titania! Now I get it." Lucy blinked. "Wait, where is Jellal, anyway?" she asked.

Smile vanishing, Mirajane turned her attention to the Script Gate. "He's with most of his old friends on an S-Class mission for the Magic Council. They're fighting a weapons smuggling ring called Dark Unicorn. Erza was the only one who didn't go with them, and that's only because she was already busy monster hunting."

"By herself?" Lucy whispered. "Just how powerful is she?"

That, of course, was when Erza strode through the open guild door, carrying a horn at least three times her size. She was wearing her chest wrap and fire-red pants, the twin Demon Blades sheathed and hanging from her hips. _No one to protect means no armor._ Mirajane sighed. _I wish she'd take better care of herself on solo missions!_

Lucy's eyes bulged at the sight, while the rest of the guild went silent. _It looks like they've figured out Jellal's not coming to save them,_ Mira decided, smile returning as the new mage blushed just a touch. "S-so pretty!" Lucy gasped. _Someone has a new fan._

"I've returned," Erza reported, as though it weren't obvious. "Where is the Master?"

"Welcome back," Mirajane said. "Master's at the league conference, and Jellal brought Team Cult Buster with him to go after a dark guild." Titania nodded, eyes dancing away briefly, then proceeded to lecture half the guild. _Hm. She's gotten better at masking,_ Mirajane noted, _but she didn't complain about the unasked-for information._ When she realized Lucy was looking at her rather than Erza, Mirajane realized her smile had changed. _Oops. Must've let the Demon out a bit._

"M-Mirajane?" Lucy whispered. "Why are you...?"

"I'll explain later," Mirajane replied, then lost the forming scheme as Erza recruited Natsu _and_ Gray. "This could very well be the most powerful team in Fairy Tail." She looked on as Lucy retreated from the impending chaos. _Oh, dear. That will never do. Erza's new team will need someone more sensible watching over them, Lisanna's right about Natsu needing friends..._ she turned to hide the gleam in her eyes. _...and with Loke so distracted lately, I need an ally in matchmaking Erza and Jellal._


	36. Vol. 8, Ch. 6

Earthland-2, Magnolia, X784: Lucy

"Thank you so much, Mirajane!" Lucy gushed, watching from the edge of town as Team Cult Buster returned, Jellal leading them home. "I hope this isn't any trouble."

"Not at all," Mirajane insisted, smiling. "Lisanna and Loke can tend the bar while I'm doing other things, whether it's an S-Class mission or showing a new friend around."

Lucy blushed. _Mirajane considers me a friend? Wow._ "I still can't believe Fairy Tail destroyed two whole Dark Guilds with just two teams," she blurted.

"Dark Unicorn wasn't destroyed," Mirajane explained, one hand on her chin. "Cult Buster wiped out their chance to become a major guild in the Balam Alliance, but a few of them escaped to crawl back to their masters."

"So did Erigor..." Lucy whispered, hugging herself. _Is he going to come after us?_

Mirajane patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Lucy. We take care of each other." Lucy nodded, forcing herself to relax. _I don't want to worry them._

"Oi, Mira!" Shou waved, grinning like Natsu. "We brought you a souvenir!" He threw Mirajane a white staff, which she caught one-handed. "This job was so easy, it was almost embarrassing. Of course, that's what happens when nii-san comes with us." The whole group was smiling, except for Jellal himself. _He looks...haunted,_ Lucy thought. _It's the only word that feels right for that expression. This is Gentle Jellal, the Shield of Fiore?_

Millanna meowed a yawn. "Except there were so _many_ of them. I'm not feeling lively at all. I used so much magic power, I'm going to need to nap all day tomorrow."

"So just like every mission," Wally laughed, resting his rectangular gun on his shoulder. Millianna pouted at him. "It's all dandy, Milli. You earned a rest."

"Hey Mira, is that the new kid?" Shou asked. Simon sighed and dope-slapped the card mage. Kagura chuckled. "Simon! What the Grim?"

"Her _name_ is Lucy," a purple-haired woman Lucy didn't recognize interjected, shaking her head. "Hi there. I'm Ultear, and I understand you've already met the rest of this bunch."

"I wouldn't say 'met,' exactly...but I'm really glad to now!" Lucy replied, bowing.

Kagura bowed back. "The pleasure is ours." She smiled at the pair as Lucy straightened. "I hear that Mirajane-san has you keeping an eye on Natsu and Happy."

"More like Natsu and Gray," Lucy muttered, forcing herself not to pout. "I like teaming up with Natsu, at least when he's not almost getting me killed, but those two!" She snorted and crossed her arms. "It's like being a babysitter."

Jellal blinked, haunted expression vanishing. "For love of the gods, what are they doing in a team together?"

Mirajane beamed like the sun. "It was Erza's idea," she explained.

The transformation astonished Lucy. Every member of Team Cult Buster except Jellal – _wait, Jellal's not technically a member,_  Lucy remembered – seemed to go paper-white, staring in shock. Jellal merely sighed and shook his head. "Oh, Erza. So she finally did it, huh?" he asked, chuckling. "Was Lucy the deciding factor?"

"Oh, no," Mirajane replied, still smiling, "Erza just decided to grab them while the rest of you were unicorn hunting." Cult Buster's members added sweat drops to their pale visages. "Lucy was very helpful, though. Eisenwald might have hurt a lot of people if she hadn't been there."

Lucy gulped, sure her face was as red as Jellal's tattoo. "It – wasn't that big a deal, really," she stammered. "I wouldn't have even been able to help much without Happy."

"He's pretty insightful, for a six year old cat," Shou quipped, the team recovering in an instant.

Millianna rounded on him, her tail bristling. "Never underestimate the kitties!" she insisted.

"Oh, that reminds me," Lucy said, one finger going to her chin. "Natsu asked Erza to fight him if we succeeded in our mission, and she agreed." The team froze, Jellal included this time. "That's not going to be a problem, is it?"


	37. Vol. 8, Ch. 7

Earthland-2, Magic Council - Fiore Branch, X784: Erza

"You stand accused," Chairman Seam intoned, "of the partial destruction of Oshibana Station, and the complete destruction of the Ryusika Gorge bridge and the meeting hall in Clover." Siegrain was smiling in his nonchalant way, while his fellow Councilor (and partner in slime) Daphne munched on some sort of meat-on-a-stick. "According to eyewitness accounts–"

_Rumble._

The entire Magic Council went silent. For less than a second, the earth shook. The amphibian clerks looked at each other, necks bulging as they swallowed. "Ahem. According to–"

_Rumble. Rumble. Rumble._

Erza's eyes went wide. _Oh, no._ She already pictured Natsu in her mind, stomping towards the building, several well-meaning teammates trailing him. The shaking continued, but as it got closer, the tremors became more regular, spaced out by regular beats. _Footsteps._ Titania braced herself, but the expected implosion never happened.

Instead, the doors swung open, and Natsu did in fact arrive. Jellal had him tucked under one arm, the Dragon Slayer thrashing and roaring. Erza blinked, then gaped at Natsu's red wig and "armor" made from a barrel and two steins. The boy had attached a buckler to one vambrace, and a _rubber duck_ to the other. "Let me go, Jellal! I'm not gonna let them get away with this!"

"Hush, Natsu," Jellal replied, voice even, motions fluid and calm. Yet with each step he took, the land shuddered beneath him. Natsu wailed in even greater outrage. Jellal ignored him, waiting until he reached the dock to drop the fire mage. "Councilors," he said, bowing even as Natsu leaped to his feet, "does Miss Scarlet have an advocate?"

A collective moan arose from the Magic Council. "Young Master Fernandes," Org began.

Jellal straightened. "No, then," he replied, cutting off the Deputy Chairman without batting an eye. "With the defendant's permission, then, I will take the role."

"Forget them, you jerks! I'm Erza!" Natsu declared, exhaling a jet of flame for emphasis.

The entire council gaped. Erza planted her face in her palm. Jellal sighed and pointed two fingers downward. A telekinetic wave planted Natsu face-first into the floor. "I apologize for Salamander's unexpected involvement in this matter. Rest assured I will personally repair all damages before we leave."

"Jellal, this isn't necessary," Erza whispered.

Jellal smiled at her. _Why must my legs weaken when he does that?_ Erza despaired. "Natsu's presence suggests otherwise," he pointed out. Muffled protests echoed from the tile floor. His smile vanished when he returned his gaze, cool and reserved, to the councillors. "May I have a copy of the charges?"

"Hey, Erza, do you want Jellal to be your advocate? Yeah?" Daphne called down, grinning. Siegrain hid his expression behind a hand held to his forehead. Michello hissed at the cowgirl. She winked at him, leaning back and starting in on another stick sausage.

Erza swallowed, looking down at her manacles. "Yes," she conceded, wanting to sink into the floor and disappear. _Trying to turn him down would probably makes things worse. He never does that earth-shaking thing on purpose._ One of the clerks handed Jellal a small stack of papers. Levitating a pair of Gale-Force Reading Glasses to his face, he scanned the charges within seconds. His only response to Natsu's continued thrashing and stifled protests was to plant a foot on the plush bird strapped to the back of the barrel. Natsu's wail was especially outraged. The masonry nearest the Dragon Slayer's face began to liquefy.

"Of the twelve charges, eleven are patently absurd," he said, looking up and removing the glasses. "Fairy Tail was legally hired to oppose Eisenwald by the appropriate local authorities. All damages were within accepted parameters given the magic used by the Dark Guild and the presence of an A-Class demon from the Books of Zeref. The charge regarding the Ryusika Gorge bridge is particularly egregious, given that all the damage to it was done by Wind Magic."

Org leaned forward. "And the twelfth charge?" he prodded.

Jellal's sigh made Erza's stomach tighten to a pinpoint. "Erza, did you really punch guards that didn't respond to you within three seconds?"

Erza dropped her head, praying her hair would conceal her mortification. _Gods, what Jellal must think of me right now,_ she despaired. "S-sorry," she mumbled.

"Patent assault, Master Fernandes," Michello snapped. Erza could hear the triumph in his voice. "Perhaps you should have left this to us."

"According to this statement," Jellal replied, holding up the sheaf, "the guards do not intend to press charges, given the team's efforts in preventing loss of life. There's also the extenuating circumstance of considerable ethernano use for the magic vehicle. All things considered, a fine should be more than sufficient to cover the infraction, if the Council is going to insist on ignoring the statements of the supposed victims."

Michello looked like he'd swallowed a lemon, lips constricting and neck bulging. "Th-the guards were clearly intimidated by Fairy Tail's reputation!" Daphne snorted, subsiding when Siegrain's eyes met hers. "And extenuating circumstances, faugh! Powerful wizards should be above such things!"

"So you wish to deny mitigating factors," Jellal asked, eyebrow raised, "while claiming one of your own?" Org slapped his forehead. Michello made several noises that sounded like efforts to raise an objection, each softer than the last. At last, he went silent, baring his teeth and glaring at the Starburst. "Would someone kindly remove Erza's manacles now?" Jellal voice was soft even as he glared at the councilors. _Before I disintegrate them,_ he raged, thoughts loud enough for Erza to hear, _among other things._

She glanced from Jellal to the Council in a near-panic, but they didn't react. _Jellal, if you can hear me, you're mind-leaking,_ she thought as clearly as she could.

_Eep!_ Jellal managed to keep his expression neutral while the councilors conferred, but she felt his chagrin. _Sorry, Erza. I just...don't like seeing restraints on you. Or any of the survivors,_ he added, both sets of thoughts skirting around Tower memories before leaping away from them entirely.

"In light of your advocate's defense," Belno said, causing Erza to straighten and look up with renewed hope, "a fine of 100,000 Jewels should suffice, if Fairy Tail is willing to perform a certain portion of the repairs."

"Thank you, councilors," Jellal and Erza said in unison, bowing. The manacles fell off Erza's wrists, floating to one of the guards. Jellal glanced down at the still-struggling Natsu. "If you stop melting the floor," Jellal added, smiling, "I'll remove my foot."

After one last half-hearted thrash, the infamous Salamander went limp. "Lmme opp," he grunted. Jellal lifted his foot, and Natsu leaped to his feet, instantly in the star mage's face. "Ai-yah!" he cried. "What's wrong with y–" Erza turned her fiercest glare on the rose-haired boy, and he subsided. "aye," he gasped.

Jellal took in a long breath, then began working Earth Magic to repair the cosmetic damage as they carted the Dragon Slayer out with them. _I mustn't skewer him,_ Erza thought, glaring at her teammate. "Natsu Dragneel," she rumbled, and Natsu swallowed audibly, "it's bad enough that you came here with this – this _spectacularly_ stupid plan in mind, and worse that you put such nonsense on and dare to call it armor, but if you make things any harder for Jellal than you already have, I will tie you to the Magnolia Ferry figurehead for a _week."_

"aye sir," he whimpered, smile wavering.

"He meant well," Jellal interceded.

"He usually does," Erza sighed, unable to prevent a smile from forming. "Still, it made me happy, that you both came to help." Jellal glanced away suddenly. Another thought caused Erza's smile to vanish. "I am...grateful for your assistance, Jellal. I just hope this doesn't worsen your relationship with Siegrain."

"He usually means well, too," Jellal whispered, looking down. "Natsu does less damage."

"You take that back," Natsu grumbled.

Jellal chuckled. "Different kind of damage, Natsu. You only destroy buildings." Natsu stared at Jellal briefly, blinking, then shrugged and started peeling off his supposed disguise.

Siegrain's Thought Projection appeared in front of them. "Fairy Tail would have been better off leaving her here, Jellal," the councillor explained, looking as though he were leaning on one of the columns. "I convinced those old farts that a symbolic arrest would suffice. Your precious Scarlet would have gotten off with time served, and the geezers would have felt like they still had some control."

"What do you mean, 'felt like?'" Jellal asked, eyes narrowing.

Natsu jumped forward. "And since when is cowboy girl a geezer?!" he demanded.

"Just say 'cowgirl,' Natsu," Jellal sighed. Erza's palm met her face yet again.

"Daphne excepted, of course," Siegrain replied, smiling. "She and Master Yajima are the only other members of the Council with both backbones and brains. And Yajima's getting too old for this." He waved his hand at the building entire.

"That's a bold thing to say, right here in the Council center," Erza pointed out, fingers twitching. _Zen, I want a sword right now,_ she thought.

Siegrain sighed. _...that was so much like Jellal,_ Erza thought, wishing she didn't see the similarity. "The Magic Council throws fits about the growing power of Ishgar's individual guilds, then leaves most of the work to you. Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, Phoenix Grave, Sabertooth, even Blue Pegasus...any one of your guilds does more work stabilizing Ishgar in a month than all the Rune Knights manage in a year." He glanced away. "Worst of all is Phantom Lord. Daphne and Master Yajima are convinced they're one sin away from the darkness, and I believe them."

"And the Council's not doing a thing about them!" Natsu roared. "Figures."

"Phantom Lord is the single largest guild in Ishgar," Siegrain retorted, glaring at the shorter mage, "even counting the merchants and hunters. If the Rune Knights are forced to go to war with them and their Wizard Saint leader, it could wreck half of Fiore."

"Then let us fight them!" Natsu flailed his arms, punching the air with literally burning fury.

"That," Siegrain drawled, "would wreck _all_ of Fiore."

Jellal's eyes narrowed even more. "And my successful defense of Erza ruined their illusion."

Siegrain's smile returned, but this time it looked genuine, and sad, to Erza. "You're a Fairy Tail wizard, Jellal. You had to destroy something sooner or later. It's hard to blame you for eradicating delusions."

"Of course not. You'd rather blame Erza." Jellal crossed his arms, blue ether-mist rising around him. "Tell me, my dear brother, whose idea was it to arrest her?"

"Should I have convinced them to arrest Natsu, and started a war between the Council and Fairy Tail?" Natsu snarled a jet of flame. "Gray, whose only crime was trying to rein in the madness? Poor Lucy, who couldn't have known the chaos in store for her? Maybe the talking cat," Siegrain quipped. Jellal's arms dropped, hands forming fists. The councillor's smile vanished. "Jellal, I'm sorry, I really am, but Chairman Seam is desperate to hold on to power. Daphne and I are only on the Council because of the casualties from recent scandals. Most of the others still remember Hogg, the fall guy from – 776."

"I remember what happened," Jellal almost snarled. "It was only six years of my life."

Erza rushed to interpose herself. "Enough," she insisted, looking from Jellal to Siegrain. "I am saddened by what has come between the two of you–"

"It's between us right now," Siegrain snapped. Jellal's fists crackled with Cosmic Magic. Natsu's burned with crimson flames.

"–but this incident is over," Erza shot back, grimacing. "I have no doubt you can still turn this incident to the Council's favor. Seal the records of Jellal's defense. Make note of the fine. You've never lacked for political skill, Siegrain. _Use it."_

The pause left Erza's heart pounding, but she forced herself to appear calm and stern. "That's not a bad idea, actually," Siegrain admitted. "There are any number of reasons we would seal the trial minutes. Lullaby is a valid one all by itself." He shrugged. "I'll make it work, if you do the same."

"Mm," Erza agreed, nodding. "Let's go, Natsu, Jellal." She strode past Siegrain, her nakama following.

"Wait," Siegrain called just as they reached the door. They stopped. "Jellal...how's Lucy?"

Jellal's smile was sad and lost. "She's doing well," he replied, not quite turning back, "but you really need to stop using that 'Heavenly Body' joke, Sieg."

Siegrain winced. "That bad, huh?"

"Lucy enjoyed your date, but she didn't want to come between you and your mirror," Jellal quipped. Siegrain groaned, holding his head in one hand. "I know you're better than that. I hope you do, too."

_Were you talking about Lucy, or something else?_ Erza wondered, but Siegrain vanished before they could learn anything more. Slowly, they walked out of the chambers and into the sunlight. "Jellal?" Natsu asked as the doors closed behind them. "What was six years of your life?"

Jellal and Erza shared a look. _It's July 9_ _th_ _. X784. Well, he was going to find out sooner or later._ The warrior mage shrugged. "We promised, Jellal," she pointed out. Jellal's eyes widened, then he took a long breath and looked away. Natsu looked at her expectantly. "Gray knows. We promised him that he could tell you when you'd been in the guild for seven years."

The Dragon Slayer's eyes widened, fires flickering in the back of his throat. "Ice stripper's been holding out on me?" he demanded.

Erza punched her palm. "I promised him something else if he told you early," she added.

Natsu's fire went out, literally and figuratively. "Oh," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess it's okay, then." They walked towards the train station, Natsu's head drooping more they closer they got.

"Wait," Erza gasped, and they stopped again. "That womanizer dated _our_ Lucy?" Titania was so surprised that she almost missed Jellal's sigh.


	38. Vol. 8, Ch. 8

Earthland-2, Magnolia, X784: Lucy

"You shouldn't do that, miss," one of the gondoliers called over, watching Lucy walk along the canal ridge. She smiled and waved, continuing her regular balancing ritual. _I still almost can't believe it._ Lucy looked at her hand, unable to stop smiling at the pink symbol looking back. _I'm a Fairy Tail wizard. I had an adventure with Titania, fighting evil mages to save a whole town! The Salamander is my partner._ A drop of sweat appeared on her cheek. _Though he's really not what I expected..._

She came to a halt, blinking, when she found Gray and Natsu talking with grim expressions – except they weren't fighting. "What are they doing?" she muttered.

"Aye!" Happy blurted. Lucy gasped and leaped into the air – over the canal side. She shrieked, but the little winged cat raced over and caught her before she fell in. "You need to be more careful, Lucy."

"Happy..." Lucy dangled in Happy's grip, quivering with frustration as he flew her over to a nearby rooftop where they could see the two. Both mages were looking in the direction of Lucy's scream, but Happy's speed had gotten them away before they'd been spotted. "...I'm glad you caught me – but are you're trying to give me a heart attack?!"

Happy gulped. "Gray's gonna talk to Natsu about something big. Don't you wanna hear?" He twiddled his fingers, which was odd, since his hands still looked like paws. "I'm worried."

Lucy's glare vanished, and she patted Happy on the head. "Okay. Just stay downwind. You know what Natsu's nose is like."

Happy's smile lit the evening. "Aye sir!" he cheered, carrying Lucy high above. Keeping near the light of the full moon, they escaped the duo's attention until Gray led Natsu to a ridge on the edge of town. There, the ice mage created an enormous wall that blocked off the entire slope. "Lucy, where do we land?" he whispered. "They're gonna see me soon."

"See if there's someplace to rest behind the ridge," she whispered back. "The wind's blowing away from it." Happy angled down, careful to keep the ridge between them and Gray, and they managed to find a ledge large enough for Lucy to stand on. That was enough for Happy to sit and rest, leaving them both relatively safe.

"This," Gray said above them, "is Siegrain's Tower of Seals. It was designed to contain and cleanse vast amounts of dark, corrupt magic. The success of this project is one of the reasons he's a member of the Magic Council."

"Yeah, yeah, big castle-y thing with lots of fancy columns and stuff," Natsu sighed, and Lucy heard him sit with a thump. "So what?"

"Ice-Make: Grim Memento," Gray whispered. Ice shattered, and the whistling air of his creation magic echoed above them. Natsu made a sound of disgust. "This is the Tower of Heaven."

"Heaven?" Natsu blurted. "Looks more like Hell."

"It was," Gray replied, his voice shaking. "For hundreds of people – kids, old folks, and sick people – it was Grim on Earthland. Jellal spent six years there. Erza was there for two. So was Simon. The other kids in their group were in between."

Natsu had gone quiet. "Why?" he breathed.

"They were captured," Gray rasped, "their parents killed, and they were forced to work to build the place. We found out later they mostly chose people with lots of magic potential, but who couldn't fight back." Happy gasped. Lucy felt sick. _What?!_

The sound of flame hissing echoed above them. "But...that's...who _are_ they?" Natsu snarled.

"They called themselves the Cult of Zeref, but most of them couldn't cast magic themselves," Gray explained. "They used magic weapons and the prisoners' own energy to control the place." Lucy clamped her hands over her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks, as Gray explained the nightmare that had been the Tower of Heaven. _That's not possible,_ she railed, _how could they get away with something like that?!_ Memories of haunted eyes in unguarded moments flashed through her mind: Erza's fury during the fight with Eisenwald, Jellal speaking of Princess Hisui, Wally's smile vanishing before they went after Dark Unicorn.

"This is why they're always after dark guilds, especially when kids are involved," Gray continued. Something shattered more ice, shards of it falling past Lucy. "Dark Unicorn was implanting lacrima in them, like what Laxus' dad did to him. That's why they were so determined to take that job. It's almost certainly why Erza wanted to chase Eisenwald when she wasn't able to help with that."

"Who were they working for?" Natsu's voice was a harsh whisper, shaking almost as badly as Lucy herself.

"We don't know for sure–" Gray began.

"WHO?!" Natsu howled.

There was a long pause. "We think the Tower was run by Grimoire Heart," Gray finally admitted.

Natsu shattered a second pause by roaring to the sky, the heat of his fiery breath blotting out the frosty waves created by Gray's ice. Gray yelped, and a brief wave of water drained past Lucy and Happy. "I'm gonna burn them all!" Natsu screamed.

"How?" Gray snapped. "Can you find their freaky airship? Are you smarter than Jellal? Stronger than Erza? Better than Master Makarov?" There was another pause. "This is why they don't spread their past around – they don't want nakama going after Grimoire Heart alone and getting killed. Well, that and they don't want everyone feeling sorry for them, but you're Natsu."

There was a brief scuffle. "You're gonna tell me," Natsu snarled. "When they find Grimoire Heart, you're gonna tell me where they are, and we're going to _tear them apart."_

"Damn right we are," Gray replied. "Now let go." Another pause. "Better. Are we done here?"

Lucy felt like she was choking on grief, desperately holding back sobs, barely able to see past the stream of tears. "Lucy..." Happy whispered, looking up at her with tear-stained fur of his own.

"One sec," Natsu replied. "Oi! Lucy! Happy! Are you two gonna get home all right?"

Gray and Lucy gasped at almost the exact same moment, blonde and cat looking at each other in a panic. "Crap!" Gray blurted. "Erza's gonna kill me!" Lucy looked around desperately, but before she could tell Happy where to fly them, the ice mage was looking over the ridge's edge, eyes staring wide at them. "Don't you have any..." He trailed off when Lucy looked up at him.

"I'm sorry," Lucy managed, one hand still hovering over her mouth. "I just...we were worried, and – Zen, I don't know what to..." Without a word, Happy flew her up to the field where Gray and Natsu were. Gray's shirt was in his hand, while Natsu was looking from the ice mage to the eavesdroppers. "What are we going to do, Gray?"

"Nothing," he snapped. "As far as Erza's concerned, this is in the past. You don't ask about it, you don't look into it, you don't even mention it." He folded his arms. "We're going to tell her that you heard, because it'll hurt less that way, but after that, you drop it. Clear?"

Lucy nodded. "I understand," she said. Gray raised an eyebrow. "My past isn't anywhere near as bad as that, but there are things I want to forget, too. I just want one thing." Her hand fell to her keys. "If you ever find those – those _monsters,_ I want to know too."

"Aye!" Happy cried, one fist in the air. "Me too!"

Gray nodded. "You're Fairy Tail wizards," was his only reply. "Come on. The sooner we get this over with, the fewer bruises we'll have." He trudged back towards the guild hall, the others following him.

"Gray," Lucy whispered, and he looked back, one eyebrow raised. "You said Erza wants it in the past. What about the rest of them?"

"They're the same way, except for Jellal," he replied. "The Cult was torturing him when Fairy Tail stormed the place. He'd been there the longest, supported the other kids, took beatings for them. Every one of them says he’s the reason they survived it. That's why they all love him so much. Then the Cult did something to him, something evil, more than even torture. A part of him...never healed. I don't think it'll ever be history for him." Gray shook his head. "That's a wound you don't touch. _Ever."_ Lucy nodded, still crying a bit.

Before long, they were in front of the guild hall, Lucy looking up at the sign. _I didn't think it was possible,_ she thought, _but I love Fairy Tail more than ever now._ Gray held up a hand. "You stay here. I'll get Erza." He went inside.

Natsu turned to face Lucy. "Gray didn't say this – figures – and you probably know anyway, but I gotta ask. You're not gonna treat any of them different, right?"

After a moment to take a deep breath, Lucy nodded. "Right. It doesn't matter where we came from. We're all Fairy Tail wizards now, and that's what counts." Natsu smiled his enormous smile.

Erza walked out, looking amazingly calm, an uninjured Gray by her side. Lucy gulped and straightened, Happy darting behind her. _Coward,_ she thought, but then she met Erza's eyes and froze. They were flat, even, and completely unreadable. "I'm sorry, Erza," she blurted, "we were just worried, and – we just wanted to help," she trailed off. _Oh, spectacular performance,_ Lucy snapped at herself. _After that, I deserve my lumps._

The next few seconds were sheer terror, Erza's gaze paralyzing Lucy. Then the knight hugged her in a surprisingly gentle embrace. "Thank you, Lucy," Titania said, holding her.

"I...yeah," Lucy muttered. "Um, I'll do my best to forget this, but if there's anything I can do, please tell me, okay?"

"Okay." Erza let her go, then looked at the spirit mage, smiling. Behind her, Gray and Natsu were staring, jaws slack and eyes round. "Until then, I'd rather this remain quiet. Not secret, just a past best left behind." Lucy nodded. She glanced down at Happy, who jumped back, then twisted his paws against one another. She gave him a brief head rub, then headed back inside.

Natsu looked from the guild hall to his friends, then shrugged. "Happy? You still up for 'Operation Z?'"

Happy blinked tears out of his eyes, then swallowed. "A–Aye," he agreed, flying up and in through one of the windows.

Gray turned a narrow-eyed glare on the Dragon Slayer. "Are you up to no good? Tonight, after the conversation we just had?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, ice princess," Natsu shot back with a wicked grin. "We're supposed to forget about it until we get our hands on those Grimoire Heart jerks, right?" He chuckled. "And I'm gonna beat you upstairs."

"Well, sure, but we still don't need any more trouble after the Council arrested Erza," Lucy pointed out. She was about to continue, but found herself shivering, and looked at Gray. What she saw in his eyes made her step back, swallowing in fear. He'd bared his teeth, and silvery frost was rolling down his back in waves. "Gray, what are you doing?"

"You jerk," Gray hissed at Natsu. Lucy wrapped her arms around herself and retreated. "However it happened, Erza just got a reminder of that horror, and if you rub it in any more I swear to Zen _I will hurt you."_

Lucy swallowed and braced herself to jump in. _This isn't their usual fighting. If they start now, it'll get ugly._ Natsu surprised her, though, by stepping forward and peering into Gray's eyes. "You were there," he whispered, and Gray gasped, stepping back. "You were at the Tower when Fairy Tail got them out."

Gray scoffed and looked away. "So what?" he spat, crossing his arms. He was still holding his shirt. "I was there six minutes, and I wish _I_ could forget. Jellal was there six years. Don't screw this up, Natsu."

"He's the one who's always saying it's not a contest," Natsu pointed out, pulling back as well. Lucy exhaled in relief as the cold stopped radiating from the Devil Slayer. "Jellal's stronger than anyone except Erza gets. Give him some credit, Gray."

The fury flashed across Gray's eyes again, and he made fists. Natsu grinned back, ready to leap at his old sparring partner. The hall doors swung open, Jellal emerging with a paper in one hand. "Ah, Lucy, good, you're here," the Starburst announced. Lucy yelped and stood at attention. "Relax. I just wanted to invite you on your first S-Class job."

"What?" Natsu railed. "Already?" His eyes flickered to Happy, who was slinking back to the fire mage's side.

"It's funny, really," Jellal said, smiling as he held up the paper. "I hadn't thought much about this assignment. Curse breaking isn't usually my field." Lucy swallowed at the sight of Erza trailing behind the cosmic mage, eyes locked onto Natsu. "Besides, until recently we didn't have a celestial spirit mage in the guild."

"What does that have to do with it?" Lucy asked, peering at the job flier. She gasped at the reward. "Seven million Jewels – and a _Zodiac Key?"_

"Then, while Jellal was up there, this job request fell to the floor," Erza added, glaring at Natsu. "S-Class jobs are normally pinned to the board quite firmly."

Natsu gulped. "H-How do you know?" he asked, his smile wobbling.

"I'm the one who pins them," she hissed.

Jellal stepped nearly in between them, hands raised, while Lucy found herself holding the flier. "Now, now, let's all stay calm," he said, smiling. "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation. Besides, it worked out well in the end. Imagine a Fairy Tail wizard with five Zodiac Keys."

"Oh, that's right!" Erza replied, Natsu briefly forgotten. She held up one fist, eyes gleaming. "A contest like this – I mean opportunity – cannot be allowed to go to waste." She blinked, then sighed at Jellal. _Is Erza pouting?!_ Lucy gaped, eyes bulging at the sight. "You're too easy on them, Jellal. What if they had gone off on this job without an S-Class mage?"

"Then you would have brought back some very sorry wizards," Jellal replied. "Anyway, I was hoping to see this new team of yours in action firsthand."

"Who's going to beat who, Natsu?" Gray smirked at the sullen Dragon Slayer.

"'Whom,'" Jellal interjected. Gray sighed.

Natsu blinked at the cosmic mage. "Huh?" he asked. Lucy facepalmed. _This is going to be a long job._ She brightened. _But – another Zodiac Key, one I can earn on an S-Class request! This is my chance to make Mom proud!_


	39. Vol. 9, Ch. 1

**Volume Nine: Phantom Revelations**

Earthland-2, Galuna Island, X784: Gray

"There's only one way to lift our curse," the village chief explained. "The moon...please destroy the moon."

Natsu and Erza looked away, Erza rubbing her chin. Jellal and Lucy stared. Happy sighed alongside Gray. _Well, this job's off to a great start. Shipwrecked after being led here by a ghost, surrounded by half-demon people who set off every Devil Slayer instinct I have, and now the chief wants us to destroy the moon. Which, for some reason, is purple here._ Gray shook his head. _Well, grief does funny things to people. I know that too well._

The villagers led them to a pair of huts, where they prepared to spend the night. Erza and Lucy had joined forces, moving towards one of the huts with determination. _No surprise there. Not like any of us are going to try something funny. Jellal won't make a move even when he should, Natsu still hasn't gone through puberty, Happy's only got eyes for Carla, and I like breathing._ Erza stopped briefly, hand on her chin again. "Maybe my Giant Armor," she muttered.

Gray froze, eyes bulging as he gaped at his teammate. "Wait, you're – you're not seriously considering it!"

Jellal glanced between his old friends, blissfully unaware of Titania's plans. "Considering what?" he asked.

"Gray, we have a request from our client," Erza explained. Jellal and Lucy went pale, and Happy gulped. "It's our responsibility to consider his outlook."

"Yeah," Natsu chimed in, "it would dishonor Fairy Tail's name to leave a job unfinished."

"Our job's to lift the curse, Natsu!" Lucy blurted, arms waving wildly in the air. _Ah, sanity, sweet sanity,_ Gray decided. _So why in Zen's name is she working with flame-brain?_ Natsu blinked at her in typical clueless fashion, and Lucy facepalmed. "Whatever's causing their condition has to be on the island. Besides, we can't destroy the moon!"

"Of course we can!" Natsu fist-pumped and grinned, eyes gleaming. "I'm all fired up!"

Jellal joined Lucy in matching palm to face. "Natsu, even if your magic could reach across 380,000 kilometers, then hit your target with enough force to do significant damage, destroying the moon would have catastrophic consequences for all life on Earthland." Lucy nodded in desperate agreement.

"Like what?" Natsu asked, crossing his arms.

Gray put a hand on Jellal's arm. "People wouldn't be able to go moon-viewing," he said to Natsu. Leaning closer to the star mage, he whispered, "It's Natsu, keep it simple." While Natsu panicked over moon-viewing steaks, Erza retreated to the women's hut, Lucy trailing behind with a bowed head. "Maybe you should talk to Erza in the morning."

"I'm sure she wouldn't really try to destroy the moon," Jellal whispered back, grimacing. Gray shivered. _Yeah, right. I'm more worried about her than Natsu. She might actually find a way to do it!_

The next day, they marched towards the ziggurat at the peak of the island's tallest mountain. Gray rubbed cobwebs from his eyes, trudging at the back of the group. _Man, this place just rubs me the wrong way,_ he moped, jaw clenched. _I dunno if it's those poor half-demons or the weird purple moon, but I've got a bad feeling about this place._ He looked up.

Erza was leading the way, Natsu by her side, the duo smashing a path through the forest. Jellal was barely paying attention as he followed, making notes on his pad while staying close to Titania. _Man, whatever happened last time, Jellal really needs to try again. I love Erza like a sister, but she can be colossally thick sometimes._ Lucy and Happy were just ahead of Gray, both hiding in Horologium as the animate clock-man waddled through the woods. "'Guys, this is taking forever. Do we have a plan?' – she asks," Horologium reported.

"We're making it up as we go along, I say," Natsu droned back. Gray snickered.

Jellal looked up from his notes. "Actually, I have a theory," he replied, looking from the spirit to the ziggurat. _Of course you do,_ Gray thought, grinning for a moment. "Lunar energies are one of the most mystical forms of cosmic magic. They're ideal when dealing with ether, spirits, any wizardry that deals with magical force itself." He glanced over his shoulder at Gray. "Didn't the locals say this pyramid is a temple to the moon?"

"That's what I heard," Gray shrugged. Erza and Natsu tore through yet another veil of greenery, then froze. "Oi, why are we stopping?"

"Look," Erza commanded, pointing ahead with her sword. Jellal and Gray walked over to join them, stopping and staring alongside their teammates. The Moon Temple was just ahead, portions of the steps covered in moss or vines. Above the door and on the pillars to either side of it were hints of a curved crimson symbol, but all three markings were covered...

...by Phantom Lord banners.

"Well," Jellal grunted, crossing his arms. Erza snorted. Natsu growled. "This job just got more complicated."

Horologium chose that moment to vanish, dropping Lucy and Happy on their respective tails. They rubbed their backsides in annoyance as the team entered the temple, where more symbols awaited them. _At least Phantom Dork didn't cover them all up in here,_ Gray noted, while Jellal Meteor-zipped from image to image. "Moons," he muttered, looking from his notes to the walls and back. "Drawings of every phase. Why red, though? A visual reference to lunar eclipses, perhaps?"

"Who cares?" Natsu rumbled, kicking the floor. "This whole place is dodgy. Even the ground's a mess. Just the sort of place you'd expect Phantom Lord jerks to be."

"Them maybe you should stop–" Lucy began, but was cut off by the floor collapsing beneath them. Everyone screamed except Erza and Jellal, who caught them before they'd plummeted to their deaths (or at least multiple contusions).

"You do remember you have wings," Jellal pointed out to Happy, who dangled from his hand, "right?" Gray exhaled in relief from the star mage's other arm, while Erza cradled Lucy gently in one arm and held Natsu by his collar.

"Aye," Happy whimpered, looking down and rubbing his feet together.

When they landed, Gray's spirits were lifted by Erza's furious glare at sulfur-breath. "Natsu..." she snarled.

"aye," Natsu whimpered, his whole body wavering under Titania's withering gaze.

"Um, guys," Lucy added, brushing herself off, "I'm as mad at Natsu as the rest of you, but we may be in luck. There's a cave down here," she pointed out. Gray peered in the direction Lucy gestured in. _Huh. Squinty's stupidity might have actually come in handy for once._

Natsu decided to make himself useful, turning his fist into a torch, and they worked their way through the cavern. The passage was long and utterly lacking in combat. _It looks like Phantom's already cleared out,_ Gray decided, shoulders slumping. _I guess we all stand around while Jellal does a thing. Well, there's worse ways to make a million...Jewels..._ They reached the end of the passage, entering a massive opening beneath the heart of the temple.

Gray stared up in disbelief at a massive figure made of ice, standing in a pool of water that it somehow didn't freeze. At first, he thought the ice was in shadow, but the shaft overhead brightened as they approached. _Black ice,_ Gray realized. _Moving,_ living _black ice. And that silhouette – why is it so familiar?_ Lucy squealed. "Don't panic," Gray insisted.

"Gray Fullbuster," the giant rumbled. Though the voice was deeper, the ice mage recognized it immediately. _Lyon,_  he thought, eyes widening. "Somehow, this was inevitable. I might even call it 'destiny,' were I in a nostalgic mood." The ice monster raised its head, and Gray's heart missed a beat. _Deliora?!_ He trembled, caught between terror and rage, as its eyes opened. Erza and Jellal gasped in a single voice, while Happy wailed and flew behind Natsu. The Dragon Slayer snarled, fists blazing hot enough to drive back the monster's frigid aura. "Dragon Slayer. Devil Slayer. You take such pride in those titles, but there is a power that surpasses you both."

The frozen Deliora flexed its arms and stepped forward. _"God_ Slayer," Lyon said, and his creation roared.

"Lucy? Now you can panic," Gray hissed. Lucy screamed and dove behind him. "Ice-Make: Rampart!" Not-Deliora's fist came at him like a train, crashing into his Rampart. A second blow shattered it, but that was more than enough time for them to get around the monster.

Erza and Natsu both charged at the thing with wordless battle cries, her sword and his fists leaving cracks in the false demon. Those cracks healed as they watched. "Why are you doing this, Vastia?" Jellal demanded, glaring up at their foe.

"I have spent three years transforming myself," Lyon replied, stomping at Natsu. The Dragon Slayer dodged, but the shockwave sent Natsu sprawling. "I have surpassed Ur herself. I will defeat Deliora, something she could not do with her daughter and this failure at her side. Then, at last, I will challenge her, and replace her as the greatest Molding Mage in the world."

"Failure? _Meteor!"_ Jellal cried, flying at Not-Deliora. He hammered it repeatedly, the incredible force leaving wide cracks all across its body. "As a child, Gray stormed the Tower of Heaven for complete strangers. What have _you_ done with your life, Vastia?"

Again, the damage repaired itself. "You are fighting my masterpiece, ruined one," Lyon intoned. "Dynamic Ice Magic that can challenge two S-Class wizards and their sidekicks."

_"Sidekicks?_ Fire Dragon – ROAR!" Natsu howled, a massive gout of flame enveloping the entire creation. It melted around the edges, dripping massive dark tears, but it began reforming the instant Natsu's flames receded.

"It is a most impressive foe, Lyon," Erza added, requipping into her Black Wing Armor. "Yet all you have done in three years is torment innocent villagers. Moon Flash!" She darted past Not-Deliora, leaving a cross-shaped wound in its chest.

That, too, healed as they watched. "Innocent? You still haven't figured out what they really are?" Lyon-Deliora sighed, shaking its monstrous head. "You disappoint me, Fairy Tail." _The Grim? What is he talking about?_

"What they are is irrelevant," Erza retorted, circling and slashing, while Jellal landed, an explosive seal erupting atop the Dynamic Ice. Not-Deliora shuddered and fell to one knee, where Natsu hammered at it again and Lucy recovered enough to summon Taurus. "The citizens of Galuna Island are harming no one. You have no right to judge them!"

"Your best friends are Devil Slayers," Lyon drawled, swinging one massive arm. Black ice eagles flew screaming from its skin. "Do not speak to me of judgement, Titania."

_Eagles from its arm? I see,_ Gray realized, watching Erza parry Lyon's eagles even as Gray fired an ice cannon in its face. "We need to shatter it all at once," Gray called out. "Whatever magic he used to enchanted it, Lyon still has to control this fake to keep it moving. He can't do that if it's in pieces."

Not-Deliora glared at Gray, eyes narrowing. "Clever, wretch," Lyon hissed, "but easier said than done. Ice-Make: Angelica!"

"Ice Make what now?" Natsu asked. The water around Not-Deliora erupted into a frigid geyser, taking form as a black-ice rat nearly as massive as the Deliora replica. It wore a lace headband and a frilly corset. The entire Fairy Tail team – even Erza – stared at the new creation with wide, round eyes. Then Natsu fell over laughing. "Attack of the killer rat-maid! Sca-ry! HA ha ha ha–"

Natsu was cut off when the rat plowed into him, both combatants disappearing down the cavern. "Natsu!" Lucy blurted, racing after her partner, with Taurus and Happy racing behind them.

"Good," Gray rumbled, placing fist to palm. "Now we can get serious."

Jellal gathered his magic, the light around them swirling towards the star mage. "Careful, Gray," he said, watching Not-Deliora warily. "This is no ordinary magic. The curse on the villagers was a mere side effect of this thing's creation."

"This?" Lyon scoffed. "This was but a test. My guild mates wanted to do battle with Deliora." Not-Deliora breathed in, then bellowed a gout of bone-chilling power. "Becoming a God Slayer is not a thing to be taken lightly." A fist shot out at Jellal, but the cosmic mage caught it with one enhanced palm. "I stood under the Moon Drip night after night for months, strengthening myself beneath a torrent of magical annihilation. Fought terrors summoned by the Grim Shade, facing my own fears. Froze spells drawn forth by masters of all four elements. The beasts of the village could not even approach the temple, foul as they are."

Fury gripped Gray's soul, but he forced it back. _Patience. He still hasn't figured out that we're holding back. Wait until the team's ready,_ he told himself, gritting his teeth. "The Phantom Lord mage calls harmless villagers 'foul?' You're pathetic," he hissed. "Ice-Make: Lance!"

Not-Deliora ignored the lance barrage. "Phantom Lord's support is why I am strong," Lyon retorted, smashing the ground near Gray. The ice wizard dodged the shockwave, darting aside, while Erza landed on an outcropping. "I would say the same of Fairy Tail for you, if you were not a liability for them."

A column of sapphire light erupted around Jellal. "You still haven't answered my question, Vastia. Pleaides!" he chanted, blasting Not-Deliora with a barrage of self-guided star blasts. "What have you actually done? Who have you helped? Why do you fight?"

"Only power can change the world," Lyon said, turning on the star mage with a snarling grimace. "You of all people should know that, slave boy. Ice Make: Snow Dragon!" Not-Deliora gestured in Lyon's one-handed Make style, and the dragon rushed at Jellal. "Your brother is not enough. I will remake Ishgar itself!"

Jellal smashed the Snow Dragon with one punch. "Reformation is an admirable goal," he admitted, fist still trembling, "but you cannot achieve it by staining your soul in Porla's service."

"Says the man defending this traitor," Lyon snarled, pointing at Gray. "He's the reason Ur was injured." Fullbuster paled, stumbling back. "I want to surpass her by becoming stronger, not by weakening her!"

Gray's legs wouldn't move, even as the false Deliora turned on him. "I...I..." Both hands made fists, shaking in helpless admission. Before Lyon could attack, though, Jellal resumed his offensive, Meteor seeming to carry him all over the God Slayer beast at once.

"Ur chose to go with him!" Jellal cried, hammering Not-Deliora repeatedly. "We all did! Our scars were all earned gladly! If you haven't learned that your friends make you stronger after all that time in Phantom Lord, then you're in the wrong guild!" As he so often did, Jellal used his rapid-fire assault to draw a symbol above his target. The star mage landed beside Gray, fingers splayed as his hands met. "Be judged by the Seven Stars: Grand Chariot! _Now,_ Gray!"

_Okay._ Gray formed his bow while Jellal's magic rained devastation on the counterfeit demon, and even the ice mage felt the cold emanating from the arrowhead. "Ice Devil: Zero Destruction Bow!" He launched the massive burst of power into the replica's throat, widening the hundreds of fractures Jellal had sent through Lyon's monster.

"Perdition Claw: Abaddon!" Gray smiled as Erza landed beside them, Purgatory Armor already swapping out for her standard Heart Kreuz breastplate. _Couldn't let him notice, could you? Otherwise, how could you claim no enemy had seen it and lived?_ Behind Titania, Not-Deliora exploded into shards, only the head falling into the puddle left behind by the creation of Angelica. She turned and faced the remnants of the creation, her standard sword pointed between its eyes. "Master Ur's prosthetic leaves her no weaker than my eye does me," she intoned, coolly gazing at the terrible face. "She conjures ice from it that shatters steel with her kicks. Her stamina is greater than ever. And if you believe Gray could ever betray Ur, you are a greater fool than I imagined."

It was downright stomach-churning for Gray to watch Deliora's face form an expression of joy, eyes seeming alight even made of dark ice. "She's...she's stronger? Than ever?"

"She's been training with it for three years," Jellal pointed out, arms crossed. "What do you think, Vastia?"

The head began melting, but it remained solid enough to turn a knife-edged smile on Gray. "You'll see me again soon, Fullbuster. I'll defeat Master Ur and kill the demon all of you couldn't. Everything will change from that day."

"What happened to you, Lyon?" Gray whispered, watching the head warp as it turned to common water. "What was so terrible that even Ur couldn't save you?"

"I lost my home too," Lyon explained, melting eyes streaming out of their sockets. "The difference is, you're obsessed with _how,_ but never stopped to consider _why."_ With that, the last remnants of the thing were gone, leaving behind only a pool of frigid water.

A massive rat's head landed at their feet, already melting. Natsu leaped in, propelled by a fiery blast. "Yeah! I'm all fired up now!" He stopped and looked around. "Huh? Huh? What happened to the other one?"

Jellal and Gray chuckled. "Erza," they said in unison.

Lucy and Happy ran to catch up, panting, while Natsu roared at the hole overhead. "Ai-YAAH!"


	40. Vol. 9, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X784: Lucy

"I still can't believe they were really going to destroy the moon..." Lucy muttered, cheek pressed against the bar. _Was even a Zodiac Key worth that?_ She let one finger play across the Sagittarius symbol. _Yes. Yes it was._

Mirajane giggled while she cleaned a mug. "Erza probably knew what was going to happen. Natsu...well, you know what he's like by now."

"Sometimes it feels like you and Jellal are the only sane people in Fairy Tail," Lucy sighed, one finger tracing curls along the wood. "I used to count myself, but I think I've gotten as loony as everyone else."

"Oh, no," Mirajane replied, smiling and raising a palm, "we're all mad here. Ask Jellal about his chalk collection some time." Lucy groaned and let her face drop to the bartop, covered by one arm. "Besides, would you want it any other way, Lucy?"

At that, Lucy couldn't help sitting up again. She turned and looked at the guild hall, smile growing against her will. Drinking, partying, studying, and a little fighting met her gaze, Fairy Tail as rowdy as ever. "You're right. I wouldn't," Lucy admitted. "I think I'd like it if my house weren't a mini-hall, though." Mirajane giggled again. "Natsu and Happy live there half the time – your sister must be the most patient girlfriend ever – and Erza and Gray just break in whenever they feel like it. Some days, there's just no escape."

"Natsu and Lisanna aren't a couple," Mira explained, her grin becoming cat-like, "yet. Happy goes wherever Natsu goes, and you don't have to worry about Erza or Gray." Lucy snorted and crossed her arms. "Gray won't let anyone in – yet – and there's only ever going to be one person for Erza." Both sets of eyes flickered to Jellal, who was looking over a blank lacrima.

_His latest project,_  Lucy mused, _lacrima enchantment. Because Cosmic, Mental, Wave, Devil Slayer, and Seal Magic – plus all four element-shaping styles – aren't enough._ She shrugged. "I don't get it. Erza's practically fearless. Why doesn't she just ask him out?"

Mirajane grimaced. "Because the great Titania isn't very fearless around Jellal," she sighed, arms crossed. "Last year, he finally told Erza how he felt. She brushed him off, and now she doesn't know how to take it back."

"Really?" Lucy glanced over at where Erza was talking to an excited Meredy. "We just came back from a mission together. She didn't seem all that afraid."

"Because you had monsters to fight and a mystery to solve," Mirajane explained, sighing and leaning on the bar. "Jellal may not have expressed himself perfectly, but even Erza's not that thick. Besides, for most of the year, she's been a lot quicker to blush when their eyes meet." Her smile returned, wry and lopsided. "Much more of this and they're going to turn into Alzack and Bisca. Loke and I started making plans, but he ditched me." Mirajane crossed her arms. "And after all that time Jellal's put into helping him with his leaky magic. Hmph."

"Mm." Lucy looked at Erza more intently. _She keeps looking at Jellal out of the corner of her eye,_ the spirit mage noticed, _but it's almost like she doesn't know she's doing it._ She rubbed her chin. "Are you sure Erza knows? Jellal's great, but he can be really shy. If he stumbled through his confession, well...Erza's good at missing stuff sometimes."

Mirajane looked from redhead to bluenette and back, twice, then bit her lip. "No," she muttered. "No, even Erza's not that dense." She stared at Titania, fingers drumming on the bar. "Is she?"

Lucy shrugged. _It'd help to know what Jellal actually said,_ she thought, _but I'm not asking. Either Mirajane doesn't know, and I could get her to start snooping, or she does know, and we don't want to have that discussion while Erza's in the hall._ She swallowed. _Or in Magnolia. Maybe Fiore._ Inspiration struck. "Maybe if we make it a challenge," Lucy thought. "I don't think Erza could back out of a contest if her life depended on it." She smiled wryly. "She could if ours did...maybe."

Mirajane gasped, then hugged Lucy from across the bar. "Oh, Lucy, that's a brilliant idea!" She let the shaken spirit mage go, lips pursed as she looked away. "I think you should be the one to bring it up. Think about how to say it, though. We can't just throw her at him. Believe me, I tried."

Lucy nodded. "I've just got one small mission to complete, then I'll be all over it."


	41. Vol. 9, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, Cedar Town, X784: Shou

"I still think we should have waited for nee-san," Shou said, flipping cards in the air as they walked.

"Erza-nee has her own team now," Millianna pointed out with a huff, tail lashing. "Besides, we have Jellal-nii. It'll be fine."

"But Milli, this time we have–" Shou carefully didn't glance at Meredy, who was trailing behind Ultear like her own shadow. "–other complications."

"Will you relax?" Ultear insisted, stretching her arms and yawning. "Blue Skull isn't exactly Dark Unicorn. This'll be a milk run, just watch."

"I don't know," Wally muttered, hat hiding his eyes. _As if the sunglasses weren't enough,_ Shou thought, but one glance at his adoptive brother had him catching his cards and putting his deck away. "Blue Skull is supposed to answer to the Oracion Seis. We need to have quick trigger fingers."

"They work for Grimoire Heart, not the Six Prayers," Jellal said, and they all turned to him. Their big brother looked out over the port town. "Zalty's been spotted with them. That's why we're here."

"Well, that and a five million Jewel bounty," Meredy pointed out. "Sure, I'd be happy to stop Zalty for free, but my rent's not going to pay itself."

"Maybe you should move in with Lucy," Simon suggested, grinning. "Each of you would only have to worry about half as much rent, then."

Kagura shook her head. "I'm sure Lucy's nice, nii-san, but with Natsu and Gray always showing up unannounced, I'm not sure it's safe for a younger lady as proper as Meredy." Ultear snorted a laugh. Meredy blushed. "She's quite refined, Ultear, in spite of your best efforts."

"Give me time," Ultear retorted, her grin matching Simon's. Meredy turned an adoring sideways glance towards the Space Arc mage. Kagura sniffed, looked away, and rested a hand on her hilt.

Jellal turned, lips pressed tight, and the team's chatter died away. "Blue Skull was supposed to have been disbanded a hundred years ago." Shou gave his big brother his undivided attention. "Its old leader is rumored to have founded Phantom Lord. For a group of fallen mages to risk making an enemy of Fiore's largest guild, then ally with Grimoire Heart...someone is playing a dangerous game. It's up to us to find out who."

The next few hours were boring investigation, Jellal and Ultear using their legendary brains while the rest of them poked around. Shou spent a fair amount of time doing divination spreads, Simon helping to penetrate magical darkness as usual, all to little avail. _They're somewhere north of town, and they have good anti-divination wards,_ he mused, _and that's about all I know._

At last, Ultear was able to use her Arc of Space to pick up the trail, and they headed north to a series of caves in the cliffs overlooking town. "Hey, Jellal," Simon called as they approached, "aren't the Legion Knights supposed to protect this area?"

"Few of them have what we would call magic," Nii-san explained, scanning the trail with one of his Wave spells, "mostly using their life energy to enhance their physical abilities. They're fearsome combatants, on a par with battle wizards, but they generally leave investigation to more specialized Zentopia agents."

"Or guild mages," Ultear pointed out. "What have you got, Jellal?"

"Very little," Jellal admitted, crouching to peer at the dusty, narrow trail. "I'm not picking up much ethernano, but that could be the wards."

"Well, I _am_ sensing the residue from a lot of teleportation," Ultear replied, sharing a glance with Simon. "Someone's coming and going quite a bit. That takes a lot of juice."

"Well, well," a new voice interjected, and Cult Buster straightened, "this is quite an honor. Fairy Tail comes calling, led by the Shield of Fiore himself." From the nearest cave, a thin figure no taller than Shou himself emerged, wearing a black body stocking and oni mask. The only part of him visible was black hair as spiky as Jellal's. "Your approach was obvious. A pity. For you."

Jellal's eyes narrowed, and the area's magic swirled towards him. "As ambushes go," he whispered, and everyone armed themselves, "yours leaves something to be desired as well. I suggest you surrender now, and tell us where Zalty is."

Space warped above them, and the dragon lady appeared. She'd grown since their last encounter, her gray scales brighter and more silvery, covering longer legs and a wider upper body. "Miss me, Jelly belly?" she quipped, vast Light Magic gathering below her palms.

"Ultear," Jellal called. "Can you handle oni-mask?" She nodded. "Good. _Meteor."_ With that, Jellal slammed into Zalty, and they dueled above the others with power that shook the earth.

Oni-mask-guy snapped his fingers, and Blue Skull attacked _en masse._ "Circle defense!" Ultear commanded, and they obeyed, forming a defensive ring. "Take 'em down!" Shou grinned, cards multiplying as they flew at the dark wizards. Over a dozen enemies went flying the other way, thrown back by his assault. He glanced at Ultear, and his smile vanished.

Her Arc of Space was clashing against a magic that looked identical, the black-masked wizard matching her spell for spell. "Ultear!" he cried, filling both hands with assault cards. It took Shou a moment to realize Simon had shouted the same moment he had.

"I am the Black Scorpion," Oni-mask snarled, "and you are no match for my limitless power!"

"I'll be fine, he's just a copycat!" Ultear called back, darting around Scorpion with her gateways. "Take out the small fry!"

"Small fry?" Several of the goons snarled, gathering and charging again.

Shou ignored the cacophany of objections, filling two hands' worth of cards with explosive force. "You want us to take you seriously?" he asked, eyes narrowing. The charge towards him halted when they saw his glare. "Fine. I'm dealing you out. Blackjack Barrage!" He threw the cards, which multipled tenfold as they flew. A hundred bursts of light sent the entire batch of Skull mages sprawling, most of them unconscious before they landed.

A quick glance around told him that his teammates were doing as well as he. Millianna's Capture Tube had entangled as many as Shou had knocked out, Wally's Block Gun had ravaged their numbers, Simon's Dark Moment left them reeling, Meredy's brain-sword-things cut them down, and Kagura's Gravity Magic had pinned the rest. _That's different,_ Shou noted, _Jellal and Ultear being the only ones still fighting._ Ultear was struggling with Black Scorpion, while Jellal and Zalty were both calling on city-shaking magic in their duel of Light. "Ultear, let us help!" Simon shouted.

"Stay back!" Ultear insisted. "The last thing we need is stinger-boy copying more of our spells!"

"Foolish girl," Scorpion retorted, "do you think I need to be attacked with magic to Mimic it? Dark Moment!" Both combatants vanished. An instant later, so did Simon, their old friend teleporting to his girlfriend's aid.

"Ultear! Simon!" Jellal cried, turning. The moment he was distracted, Zalty slammed him to earth with an overhand double-fist. Her laugh was cut short when Jellal stood, wiping away a single trickle of blood from his mouth. "You're in my way," he hissed, and the land trembled, dust and pebbles rising around him.

"We're fine," Ultear called, hanging onto Simon as they appeared in the center of the circle. "Tear her apart!"

"You're far from fine, you ridiculous–" Scorpion began. Kagura gripped her hilt, and punctuated his sentence with a bone-jarring landing courtesy of Gravity Change. Shadow swirled around the Dark Wizard, and he vanished.

"Honestly," Zalty sighed, palm resting atop her snout. "What am I going to do with you people?" She held out her other hand, and an image of Ur appeared.

They all gasped, eyes widening. "What have you done with Master Ur?" Jellal demanded.

"Mom!" Ultear blurted, Arc of Space whirling around her hands.

"Me? It seems that Phantom Lord is finally sparring with your guild," Zalty explained, widening the image. Ur stepped back, legs quivering, as Lyon advanced on her. The "Cold Emperor" had a cadre of elite mages beside him and a small army at his back. "Can I help it if he's finally become sensible enough to fight his old master in a more pragmatic manner?"

"You're lying–" Jellal began.

"Arc of Space: Salvation!" Ultear chanted, a gateway opening to the fields outside Magnolia. Lyon's confrontation with Ur spread before them in the portal, and Ultear raced through. Simon gasped and followed, quickly joined by his sister.

Zalty laughed. "It doesn't matter any more," she mocked, arms folded and wings spread as she hovered in front of Jellal. "I've pinned two of your queens with a single knight, my beautiful fool. Your move."

"Shou, Wally, Millianna, Meredy, back them up!" Jellal ordered. "The Scorpion's gone. I'll deal with Zalty."

"Nii-san!" Shou stared up, feeling torn in half. _Ur and Ultear need us – but we can't leave Jellal here alone!_

Meredy put a hand on his arm. "He'll be okay," she insisted. "He's Jellal the Starburst."

The image of Jellal's ravaged, half-dead body flickered through Shou's memory. He pictured the Tower of Heaven's shores during their rescue, Erza crying silently as two medics worked frantically on his lightning-torn form. Another image replaced it, of Jellal smashing through an entire Dark Guild singlehanded during Secretary Caine's would-be coup. "Right," he conceded. "You heard him. Let's go!"

Millianna looked over her shoulder as they ran. "Be careful, nii-san," she whispered, and then they were half a nation away, not realizing they'd just leaped headlong into a war.


	42. Vol. 9, Ch. 4

Earthland-2, Magnolia, X784: Ultear

"Admit it, Master," Lyon whispered, his ridiculous helmet not remotely concealing his identity. "I have finally surpassed you."

Ultear warped space around her, flying at Lyon with a speed impossible through a mere leap. Her fist met his face, shattering the brat's helm and throwing him into his pack of fools. "You think you're better than Mom?" Ultear whispered back, Crash Magic rippling around one fist and Arc of Space snarling reality around the other. Simon guarded her back, Darkness Magic flickering with menace around him. "Lyon, you S-Class creep, you can't even beat _me."_

"I have no interest in challenging you, Ultear," Lyon replied, his voice as cold as his Art. Behind Ultear, her mother was on one knee, Ice Magic concentrating around one hand. "Stand aside."

"So you can attack Mom with your army?" Ultear snarled, Arc growing with each passing second. "I am going to tear – you – apart."

"What?" Ur blurted. "Honey, it was just me and him. I fought some Phantom goons a while ago, but Lyon only brought his team to watch his back."

Ultear froze, her magic vanishing in an instant. "H-huh?" she breathed. The redhead, the eyebrows-guy, and the claw-dog-guy all glared at her. She felt like she was in a spotlight in a darkened theater. _I – I fell for a dark wizard's lie. Jellal even said it was –_

"Ultear!" Ur shouted, and the space mage focused just in time to find the redhead conjuring a giant stone golem overhead. "Look out!"

"Arc Crash - Destruction!" Ultear chanted, punching the stone figure. It shattered, reduced to flakes with a single blow.

"Sherry!" Dog-guy screamed. "Are you gonna get serious?!"

Sherry bowed her head. "Forgive me, Cold Emperor," she said, hands pressed together. "I am unworthy to speak of love." Ultear blinked. _Love? "Cold Emperor?" Seriously?_

"Just keep them occupied," Lyon ordered, advancing on Mom again.

"Them?" Ultear asked. She turned, and the rest of Cult Buster was there with her, Millianna waving encouragingly and Meredy looking away, embarrassed. "Oh."

"Yuka, keep Ultear busy. Toby, stop the cat-girl. Sherry, deal with the others. Send in Angelica." Lyon never even looked at them, eyes locked onto Ultear's mother. Her fists clenched again, magic swirling around them.

"Ultear, stay out of it," Ur ordered, but Lyon's Phantom Lord teammates advanced on them all the same.

_Have it your way, Lyon._ Ultear scattered a few dozen small fry with a minor Arc Crash, then smirked at eyebrows. "So. Who's Angelica?"

A giant rat flew at them from above, wearing what looked like the top of a maid outfit. It was using its tail as a propeller. "Not dandy!" Wally cried. "Not dandy at all!" Ultear simply blinked. _You have_ got _to be kidding me._

"I'll handle this," Kagura replied, darting in front of the team. "Gravity Change!" With that, the rat crashed to earth, whimpering.

In seconds, the battle turned into chaos. Eyebrows – Yuka – strode towards Ultear, smirking as he approached with his arms folded behind his back. "So, you're the elder Crash Sister," he noted, and she felt his magic gather behind him. _Wave Magic,_ Ultear realized, _even stronger than Jellal's. Well, Jellal collects Arts the way some guys collect manga. An expert would surpass him._ He stopped a few paces away. "This should be interesting."

"Yuka, I'm going to give you one chance to get out of my way," Ultear hissed, raising her fists. "I just left my best friend to fight his worst enemy alone, because your backstabbing jerk of a boss ambushed Mom. I'm in a really bad mood." Her eyes narrowed. "You could get hurt. A lot."

"I don't think so," Yuka replied, thrusting one hand forward. A burst of Wave Magic shot at Ultear.

She used a mundane teleport to appear behind him. "Arc Crash: Retribution," she drawled, punching Yuka in the back of the head. _Stronger, but not a tenth as smart._ He slammed face-first into the ground. "Warned you." Ultear looked around, trying to make sense of the battle.

Kagura was still keeping the giant rat pinned, in spite of the foul gas rolling out of its mouth. Simon and Wally had Sherry and her "dolls" on the defensive. Shou and Meredy were taking down foot soldiers all over the place. And Millianna...was running from the dog-guy, Toby. "Help! It's after me!" Milli mewled, Toby growling and barking as he gave chase.

Ultear sighed. "Meredy?" she called. The young mind mage nodded. "Arc of Space: Redistribution!" she chanted, and Meredy swapped places with Millianna. Toby came to a screeching halt when the little pink-haired wizard smiled at him, Psyche Blades forming around her. Soon, the chase was going the other way, Toby yelping every time Meredy shot a blade at his backside, while Milli helped Shou with the grunts.

_That leaves Mom and Cold Headache,_  Ultear realized, teleporting to her mother's side again. She stared in horror at the sight of Ur Milkovich shaking, holding her side, blue-white ice shattered around her. Lyon stood atop the head of a black Snow Dragon, towering overhead. "You're as great a wizard as ever, Master Ur," Lyon said, "but I have surpassed you."

"Only in power, Lyon," Ur replied, looking up. Ultear rushed to her side, helping her straighten. "Thank you, dear. Congratulations, Lyon. You've bested me. Now what?"

Lyon stared down as he circled them. "It's a trick," he whispered. "You're trying to throw me off, use some clever counter to reclaim the momentum."

"Why?" Ur shrugged. "Every teacher wants her students to surpass her." She shook her head. "You still haven't realized why this feels so empty, have you?"

"Because you're not really beaten!" Lyon raged, his false calm shattering. He crouched atop his dragon head, fists balled. "You're just putting me off! Dismissing me like a child!"

"What do you expect, when you're acting like one?" Ur stepped away from Ultear, taking a breath and regaining her footing. "You think you've surpassed me by being better in a fight? I don't care what foolishness Porla filled your head with, you're better than that. I am a mother, a scholar, a teacher, a Fairy Tail wizard. I have a family I love, students who've saved cities, a legacy to be proud of." She gestured at the larger fight going on around them. "You're not completely wrong, Lyon. I have outmaneuvered you – but not in a magical duel. You've beaten me in single combat, true. Yet my children have triumphed, and your followers have fallen."

Lyon stared at the Phantom Lord force, watching them drop in waves. "This – this doesn't matter," he whispered. "They'll be fine, and I will defeat Deliora as I promised. That's all they wanted of me."

"Is it?" Ur shook her head again. "I was so _proud_ of you, Lyon. You're a leader, and these people care about you. I thought you'd become a good man in spite of Phantom Lord. Do they mean so little to you?"

"That's not how it is!" Lyon blurted. "I don't care about Jose's stupid war, that's all!"

Ur's eyes widened, and her smile cut through the chaos like the dawn. "Oh. Well, then. That's different." She clapped fist to hand, creating a crutch of ice. "What will you do now? Porla won't be happy if you don't join his attack."

Lyon scowled. "As I said, I have a promise to keep. When I destroy Deliora, there can be no question of what I've become."

Ur nodded. "Just be careful, Lyon. I almost lost Gray to that thing. He found his way again. Don't be afraid to let others help." Lyon looked away, snorting.

"Vastia," Ultear whispered. Ur and Lyon both looked at her. Mom's eyes widened while Lyon's narrowed. "If you ever touch my mother again, I'll teach you a few things about being surpassed."

"Don't be ridiculous," Lyon scoffed. "The only reason I left you to Yuka was because you're my master's daughter. I wanted to best her, but that doesn't mean I'm ungrateful." He folded his arms, looking down on her from his creature. "I defeated Ur herself. You're no match for me."

Ultear took in one ragged breath, hoping to control herself. _Screw it._ She pulled back a fist. "Arc Crash: ANNIHILATION!" she screamed, unleashing her full fury in a single blow. Lyon had just enough time for his eyes to widen before the spell shattered his Snow Dragon and smashed him through the air. Ur gasped when Lyon bounced across the ground like a stone skipped over water, landing in a heap next to Angelica. "When you wake up, tell Master Jose that he messed with the wrong guild."

Something beeped in Ur's jacket. Mom pulled out a lacrima, and Mirajane appeared in it. "Master Ur! Oh, Zen, are you all right?"

"I'll manage," Ur insisted. "What's wrong?"

"The guild's under attack," Mirajane explained. _Zalty. That cow played us twice over!_ Ultear groaned, slapping her forehead. "Are you in any condition to help?"

"I can't take any of their elites," Ur admitted, "but I can still fight." She smiled at her daughter. "Right now, I think you want a Crash Sister."

"Mo-om," Ultear objected, then shook her head clear. _Head in the game, woman,_ she admonished herself, then waved the others over. "We just fought Lyon and his followers after taking on a Dark Guild, so we're pretty spent. Jellal's probably still fighting Zalty. How bad is it?"

"Bad," Mirajane said, frowning. "Laxus has abandoned us, even Cana can't find Mystogan or your dad, Erza's still recovering from blocking a Jupiter Cannon, and...Master Makarov's unconscious."

"What?" Ur and Ultear blurted as one. "What happened?" Ur added.

"We don't know," Mirajane said, "but – oh Zen, they're here. I have to go. Please hurry!" With that, the lacrima went dark.

_This can't be happening!_ Ultear shook her head. _Stop it. We have to help them._ She looked at her mother, forcing her uncertainty aside. "I'm going to go get Jellal."

Ur shook her head. "Jellal can take care of himself. Fairy Tail needs us, right now."

"Zalty's one of the Seven Kin. Phantom Lord may be a bunch of jerks, but they're not a Dark Guild!" Ultear insisted.

"They are now," Ur said. Ultear's eyes widened. Kagura and Wally gasped, and Ultear turned to find her team behind her. Simon and Millianna didn't look at all surprised. "Porla's been waiting for an excuse. He's not like Lyon. Winning won't be enough for him. He won't stop until Fairy Tail's been destroyed." She put her free hand on Ultear's shoulder. "I need you to believe in Jellal right now, and to trust me. Okay?"

Ultear swallowed. _He's alone,_ she thought, but one look in her mother's eyes was enough to push aside the fear. "Okay. Arc of Space: Salvation!" The gateway opened, and they rushed to defend their home.


	43. Vol. 9, Ch. 5

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X784: Lisanna

Lisanna watched in awe as Mirajane and Elfman tore through Shades, fighting their way towards the massive spell-casting guild hall robot thing. _Our life is so strange,_ she thought, turning to look at Erza. _She was amazing. Mira-nee is driving Phantom Lord back almost by herself. Elf-nii is standing up to an army._ Lisanna hugged herself. _I can't even protect Erza or Lucy. Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if Jellal hadn't saved me._

Flames roared around the walking hall's base. Ice and water clashed on one of its arms. Mira-nee tore through Shades as she raced for the hall's "chest," the stone and mortar warping near her target. The Demon landed, tossing aside several wizards with a single swipe of her claws. _Be safe, Mira._

Then, after a minute, her battle went silent. Lisanna could see no signs of combat. Elfman roared and leaped to follow. _What happened? Who could beat our sister?_ He, too, rampaged through the Phantom guild, but vanished after a short battle. Lisanna swallowed. _Elfman too?_ She looked below them, but everyone else was occupied with Master Jose's Shades. Even Ur and Cult Buster were barely holding their own. _They looked pretty roughed up when they arrived,_ Lisanna realized. "Take Over: Bird Soul," she chanted, using the form's eyesight to get a better look at the guild hall.

Lisanna squawked at the sight of her sister and brother turned into statues. _Satan Soul – Beast Soul – both defeated? How is that possible?_ She stared in disbelief as a spindly man with green hair and a monocle laughed, looking as though he were lecturing them. "Erza, I'm sorry, but I have to help them!"

"Go," Erza whispered, and Lisanna froze. She turned, finding Erza struggling to sit up. When Lisanna turned, Titania held up a shaking hand. "I will manage. If other mages need you, go to them."

"But how can I protect my brother and sister? They're so much stronger than me," Lisanna admitted, bird-head drooping.

"You have your own strength," Erza insisted. "Believe in the magic of your family, Lisanna." She smiled. "I know I do."

Lisanna looked up, amazed. "Mm!" she nodded, then turned and flew toward Phantom Lord. The guild-robot's arms were slowly drawing a magic circle, metal creaking as she soared past. Below her, Gray was doing battle with a water witch in blue who seemed unwilling to really engage him. _Gray will be fine,_ she told herself, landing and transforming into her cat-form. Mirajane and Elfman were both frozen in mid-stride, expressions of horror and grief locked onto their faces. "Mirajane? Elfman? Can you hear me?"

"Non, non, non," a strange voice replied, chuckling as a brown-clad body emerged from the floor. "With those three 'non's, I leave you in despair!"

_One of the Element Four!_ Lisanna realized, leaping back. "Who are you? What have you done to them?" she demanded.

"I am Sol of the Great Earth," he explained with a bow, "but you may call me Monsieur Sol." He extended an arm towards her siblings while still bowing. "As for your brother and sister, I have given them the gift of Merci la Vie. There, they will learn from their mistakes." Lisanna gasped as her legs went cold, and she looked down to find them encased in stone! "Though, pardonnez-moi, I should correct myself. They cannot truly be said to learn from their mistakes, for they will never leave them! Non, non, non – with these three 'non's, they are trapped forever in their failures, and so are you!" Lisanna struggled as the stone crawled up her body, down her shoulders to freeze her arms, up her neck. _I can't breathe!_ Lisanna panicked, unable even to thrash, as the stone took away her senses. Her ears were the last to go, hearing only one last statement from the sadistic mage: "Bon voyage!"

Lisanna found herself floating through mists, dangling in an endless limbo. "Mirajane? Elfman? Where are you?" The mists parted, to find Elfman flexing his latest Beast Arm for Master Makarov while Mirajane sighed.

"Honestly, Lisanna, what am I going to do with you?" A thin Mirajane asked, looking at another, younger Lisanna. The girl looked at her toes, hands pressed together. _Mira-nee! I'm here!_ Lisanna tried to call, but no sound emerged. "You were doing fine as a scout. What made you think you should join the fight?"

"I want to help," young Lisanna muttered, toes twisting inward. "Elfman can fight."

"You're not Elfman," Mirajane sighed. "Zen, what _am_ I going to do with you?" Before Lisanna could answer, the mists closed in again, parting to a different scene.

It was all too familiar, one Lisanna visited routinely in her nightmares. She cradled a fractured arm, barely able to stand, while Elfman roared and struck at Mira-nee and Jellal. Her sister and the blue-haired prodigy raced and fought, while she could only kneel there and watch. _No. No! I have to do something._

"He didn't hear me," young Lisanna breathed, tears brimming in her eyes. "He didn't even recognize me." The mists closed in again.

They parted to display a still-injured Jellal smiling at Lisanna, who couldn't even look at him. "It's all right. I was happy to help."

"But everyone got hurt protecting me," young Lisanna sniffed, wiping her eyes with her good arm. "You almost _died._ I was so useless."

"If we hadn't stopped the Beast, your warnings would have saved a town's worth of people," Jellal replied. "Everyone helps in their own way." Lisanna flinched, and the star mage sighed. "Lisanna, your magic tends toward versatility. You can do a lot of different things."

"So can Erza and Gray," Lisanna mumbled.

Jellal chuckled. "Anyone who measures themselves against Erza is going to come up short, but in spite of what she always says, it's not a contest." He sighed. "Look. I can't promise you anything, but maybe I can help you develop a stronger transformation of your own." Lisanna's head darted up, eyes wide with hope. "I don't use the same name for my magic that my brother does, but it's still Heavenly–"

The mists rushed in, smothering the memory. _I've never been able to cast Heaven Soul, though! What good does it do now?_

"Lisanna...Elfman..." Mirajane sobbed. "Please...no..."

"Monster...I'm a monster..." Elfman whispered.

More memories swirled around her, all of them showing Lisanna watching helplessly while her friends fought for their guild. _No. I'm done watching. Mirajane needs me. Elfman needs me. Fairy Tail needs me!_ She gathered all her magic, focused on everything Jellal and Mirajane had taught her, remembered the feeling of Lucy's Celestial Spirits when she summoned them. _I can do this!_ "Take Over: Heaven Soul!"

**Music Cue: Against Magic**

The stone around her shattered. Sol's cruel magic withered away in the light that radiated from Lisanna's body. For the first time, her wings spread from her back instead of her arms. White robes flowed around her, as resilient as Heart Kreuz armor. Power that felt like an embrace flowed around her hands, in her lungs, through her heart. Her feet left the ground, and Lisanna floated in the air, suspended by her golden glow. Sol screamed, then whimpered as he retreated, hands waving in denial. "Non-non-non...with three nons, this is a misunderstanding! I put you through that difficult trial to help you unlock your wondrous potential! And behold, your power now matches your beauty! So, bonsoir!" He began side-stepping away.

Lisanna dashed to face him. _It's like he froze there,_ she realized, her magic granting her speed approaching Jet's. "Free Mirajane and Elfman. Now." She grabbed his coat.

Sol wailed, then merged into the ground, coat tearing in Lisanna's hands. "Non! Platre Sonata!" He resurfaced, a giant fist of stone flying at the youngest Strauss.

Lisanna held out a hand instinctively, and a burst of golden light shot from her palm, shattering the fist. "Angel Explosion," she chanted, and the beam flew into Sol. The impact threw him across the room, where he slid to a shaky stance, barely managing to stay up on one knee, hand on the floor. "Mira-nee!" Lisanna rushed to her sister, hugging her close and concentrating on the radiance flowing from her. The light eroded the stone prison, and Lisanna sobbed in relief when her sister's arms wrapped around her.

"You...saved us..." Mirajane whispered, and Lisanna looked up to see Mira smiling at her.

The angelic figure blinked. "Wait," Lisanna said, looking around. "Us? I haven't gone to Elfman yet–" Her eyes widened at the sight of Beast Elfman looming over Sol, who shook like a banner in a storm. Elfman drove a massive punch into the mage. A second. A third. Sol was a twitching ruin of flesh in the crater Elfman made, whimpering on the edge of consciousness. "Elf-nii-chan, I think you got him."

Elfman rushed over and hugged his sisters, shrinking to human form and bawling openly for the first time in two years. "Lisanna! You were amazing!" he wept, head thrown back as he cried.

Mirajane and Lisanna looked at each other and chuckled helplessly, patting Elfman on the back while they shook their heads. "Yes," Mirajane added, smiling at her, "you were. You've always been our angel, but now everyone can see it."

Lisanna blushed. "C-come on, Mira, Elfman," she stammered, "we should find out if anyone else needs our help." Her siblings both nodded, and they released each other to continue the battle.


	44. Vol. 9, Ch. 6

Earthland-2, Fiore Airspace, X784: Jellal

_I've got to get back to Magnolia,_ Jellal worried, Fiore blurring beneath him. He gulped down large mouthfuls of air as he flew, recharging on his way home. _Zalty cost me far too much time. Worse, that was her plan from the start._ In spite of his concerns, the Starburst couldn't help a faint smile. _Pity for her she didn't know I've learned to draw Destruction Seals._ With grim satisfaction, he remembered the villain's puppet exploding over Cedar. _Maybe there's still time to help._ He reached out with his will, searching for the minds of his guildmates.

_Jellal!_ Cana screamed in his mind. _Phantom Lord – they're destroying the guild! HURRY!_ She send a picture to his mind of a giant orb spawning a dozen hands to pummel the hall. _They have Lucy, Phantom's most powerful mages are going after our wounded, and the Master, he's – he's –!_

Another image hit Jellal, this one of their diminutive master having turned the intense green of critical Magic Deficiency. _No. Mavis, help me!_ He took one last deep gulp of wind, then burst through the sky, tearing through it faster than ever. In seconds, he was over Magnolia.

It was the apocalypse. The Shade monster had nearly demolished the hall, Black Steel Gajeel was pounding Natsu atop a giant robot's shoulders, and a more terrible battle than both of those combined had erupted in the heart of the Phantom war machine. For a moment, pure horror cut through him. _Too much, all at once,_ he despaired.

_No. Focus. Triage. Magic begins as a sense, but it means nothing without control._ A majority of the guild's mages were beneath the Shade monster, and once the thing was done with their home, it would turn on them. So Jellal flew at it with Meteor, shattering the spell-creature with a single Wave-enhanced blow. The entire battle paused, mages on both sides staring. Then Fairy Tail cheered wildly below him, some hugging each other and others literally jumping for joy. The scattered Phantom forces fled to their own damaged hall, shouts of "The Starburst!" and "Crap, run!" echoing from them as they retreated. _Status,_ he sent.

This time, it was Ur who responded. _We have injured in the basement,_ an image of the battered Levy nearly stopping his heart, _Gajeel Redfox took Lucy, and he's fighting Natsu,_ she continued, sending an image of the Iron Dragon Slayer beating the kind-hearted summoner, _but the real crisis seems to be in the heart of the Phantom hall. Ultear can sense Shade Magic approaching the Master's power coming from inside – and we've still got family in there!_

Just then, an enormous dragon of flame erupted from around the machine-monster's head, which fell from the thing's shoulders. _Natsu's fine,_ he replied. _That much Shade Magic can only mean one thing._ The corrupted Wizard Saint conjured more wraith-like soldiers to attack Fairy Tail. Jellal blasted through every single one of them, his patience fraying. Surging ahead, ignoring the second wave of cheers, Jellal followed the enormous flow of ether. Light and Darkness clashed in the enemy guild's main hall, making his target easy to find.

What he saw brought him to a sudden halt. Gray, Elfman, and Mirajane were sprawled on the floor unconscious, while Erza and _Lisanna_ of all people were engaged with Master Jose. _Wait, those wings – that light – she did it, that's Heaven Soul!_ Jellal realized, watching the youngest Strauss drive back the Shades with her radiance. Indeed, Lisanna seemed to be Porla's main foe, with a shaking and battered Erza providing support. Jellal floated overhead, looking for an opening that wouldn't catch either Fairy Tail wizard in his attack, or himself in theirs.

A burst of unfamiliar Darkness Magic hammered at Lisanna, throwing her aside with her siblings and smashing her to the floor. Then bonds of Shade caught Erza in a three-headed grip. His beloved knight was exhausted, helpless, and alone, facing the cruelest of the Wizard Saints. Jellal froze in shock. Porla leered at Erza, a defenseless prisoner for the first time since the Tower. "Titania. I'm here to make you realize there will be no more miracles."

That snapped the horrified Starburst out of his paralysis. "Cosmic Storm!" he chanted, a more powerful version of his Fireworks spell raining down on Porla. Jellal raced in, shattering the spell that held Erza with a single golden punch. "You dare?" he whispered, supporting Erza as they floated back to solid ground. "You _dare,_ Porla!" he roared, Meteor becoming a raging nova around him. "Erza are you all right?" Jellal cried.

**Music Cue: The Last Magic**

"I am now." Erza smiled, managing to stand on shaking legs. "It seems we had one miracle left, Master Jose – Jellal, the Starburst!" Jellal did his best to ignore the sudden tears trickling past that joyous smile. _What did they_ do _to her?!_

Porla's smile vanished. "Then I will destroy this one, like all the others!" he snarled, enormous reserves of magic swirling around him in ghostly form. "Heartfilia will be mine, Fairy Tail will _die,_ and the legend of Fernandes will become a footnote in the history of Phantom Lord! _Dead Wave!"_

"Starburst!" Starlight crashed into Shadow, the two canceling each other out. "Your guild is beaten, Porla," Jellal spat. "Your S-Class wizards have either fallen or turned, your hall is in ruins, your army shattered. It's over!"

"You're in no better shape, Starburst," Porla smirked, their battle pausing as they assessed each other. "Makarov is half-dead, and soon he will be _all_ dead. You are the only one of his aces who is present and intact. Gildarts, Laxus, and Mystogan have abandoned you. Titania, the She-Devil, and Ur are spent. I have torn down all the glory that raised your pathetic guild beyond its place. There is only you, 'Gentle Jellal,' and you are not enough."

"Then fight me," Jellal whispered, "if you dare." He stepped in front of his friends, a Solid Seal rippling into existence behind him.

"Jellal!" Erza cried, her palm slapping against the Seal.

Jellal looked over his shoulder, clutching his self-control close at the terrified look Erza turned on him. Somehow, he forced out a reassuring smile. "I will deal with Master Jose," he said with more confidence than he felt. "Please watch for other Phantom mages."

Porla cackled while Erza nodded. "Mm," she conceded, turning and helping Mirajane to her feet. _Okay._ Jellal turned and faced the Wizard Saint. _I've spent my life putting myself back together for this moment. Porla is my final exam._

"This is perfect," Jose drawled, twin ghostly skeletons forming on either side of him. "The magnificent Titania will watch, helpless, as the love of her life dies a cruel, inescapable death." Jellal's eyes narrowed, too enraged to blush at the presumably-inaccurate description of Erza's feelings. "Her screams of despair will destroy what's left of your guild – boy!" With that, Porla sent his twin skeletons flying at Jellal.

A piece of white chalk flew back into Jellal's coat, and he watched the Shades fly into his trap. The warding circle caught and shattered them the moment they reached its center. "You hurt Erza," he breathed, striding towards Porla.

"And I will hurt her again!" Jose laughed, sending out more deadly Shade skulls with a wave of his hand. Jellal countered them with a more complicated gesture, streams of sapphire light parrying each skull in a series of graceful arcs. "Let those words follow you into the grave!"

Jellal gritted his teeth against the incredible power of Jose's assault. _He's definitely...a Wizard Saint..._ He threw vast pulses of raw Wave Magic at Porla, who countered with a column of earth-shaking dark force. "You. Hurt. Erza." Love and fury pulled ethernano through him in a painful torrent.

"Is that all you have to say, boy?" Jose mocked, thrusting one hand skyward. A sphere of phantom power formed around the Wizard Saint, which exploded outward. _Nowhere to run,_ Jellal realized, creating a shield of golden force in self-defense. It held, barely. "Yes, I hurt your precious Erza. I hurt every single member of your guild, save those too cowardly to come and fight." The sphere vanished, Porla summoning forth more Shade skulls. His leering grin was worse than the faces he conjured. "And when I'm done with you, I'll make their pain never-ending! Dead Blades!" Twin swords formed in Jose's hands, and he charged at Jellal.

"Meteor," Jellal chanted, heading straight for the guild master. He destroyed the skulls with simple bursts of Cosmic Magic, then dodged around Porla's unrefined slashes and pummeled him from behind. _"You. Hurt. Erza."_

Jose's leer vanished, and he threw the blades. They soared through the air, following Jellal as he flew and dodged. "Enough! You think you can defeat a Wizard Saint just because you're related to one? You think rescuing a princess makes you a hero?" He made a fist, eyes locked on the ghost-swords. _"Die,_ you insipid caricature!" The swords flickered, teleporting around Jellal and catching him in a pincer slash. Jellal hissed in pain and fell to the floor. Porla laughed.

"Be judged by the Seven Stars," Jellal snarled, aiming with a gesture, and Porla's laughter vanished at the sight of the symbol glowing above him, "Grand Chariot!" The Wizard Saint screamed as he was hammered into the floor by a rain of Cosmic Magic.

"You tricked me?" Porla whispered as he shuddered, then stood. His bruised face was contorted in a snarl of pure rage. "With your oldest feint? _Me?"_ He held up his hands, and a massive sphere of dark power grew above them. "I am Jose Porla, Wizard Saint of Ishgar, ruler of its most powerful guild! _You dare mock me with a charlatan's gambit?!"_

Jellal crouched, one arm pointed at the earth, the other at the heavens. "Solid Seal," he chanted, and five columns of blue-white light erupted around Porla. What little patience he'd had disintegrated in the face of Jose's cruel shadows, and he swept the arm pointed at the sky downward. "You! Hurt! ERZA! _True Cosmic Magic: SEMA!"_

"GRIM OBLIVION!" Porla screamed, throwing his sphere.

The falling star smashed into the screaming void, the wrath of Heaven exploding against the might of the Underworld. Waves crashed around them, the land cracked below them, even the air screamed above them. The world itself warped and rippled around the clash of antithetical spells. Jellal felt like he was in a taffy pull.

The mighty Starburst fell to one knee, pummeled and spent. Porla stood there, arms outstretched, gaping snarl fixed on his lips. Both Solid Seals had collapsed. _It – it wasn't enough,_ Jellal thought, forcing himself to his feet, desperately reaching for the power of the stars. It slipped through his shaking fingers, and all of his efforts went into not collapsing.

"You...damned...brat..." Porla gasped, twitching. Then he fell over, face slamming into his own floor.

_Thank Mavis,_ Jellal prayed, slumping in relief. Erza rushed to his side as quickly as her own ravaged state allowed, one arm going under his shoulders. "Gods," she breathed. "That was amazing, Jellal, even for you."

"You beat a Wizard Saint," Elfman breathed, staring in awe. Lisanna's smile beamed like the sun.

Jellal chuckled. "I spar with a Wizard Saint regularly. I have been known to win those matches, from time to time." He groaned then, holding his stomach. "And Porla's no Siegrain." He started to grin at them, but Mirajane's relieved smile vanished, replaced by eyes widening with horror. Jellal and Erza tried to turn, but their legs could barely carry them forward, and the life-ripping sensation of magical energy being torn from them brushed against his skin.

No one can be in Fairy Tail for long without learning to recognize the sound of knuckles colliding with a jaw. Jellal gasped as a warm, golden light washed over them. The fatigue vanished, the tears in their clothing sealing up, Erza's armor repairing itself. Even their wounds were patched, though not fully healed. This allowed Titania and the Starburst to turn and see Master Makarov standing at their side, his arm snapping back into place, while Aria slammed into a wall and slumped to the ground, unconscious. "Master!" Erza and Jellal exulted as one.

"You all have my gratitude," Makarov said, his smile gentle. "This battle has ended. Rest and rejoice." He strode over to Porla, who was still twitching on the floor. The Master's smile vanished. "Jose. You had such tremendous potential. To challenge both Titania and her Starburst...truly, you are worthy of the title 'Wizard Saint.' Instead, you must now face the Council, given the amount of mayhem. So must I, to be honest." He crouched down to meet Porla's unfocused gaze. "Never come near Fairy Tail again. If you dare harm my children, I will destroy you all and leave no trace." His demeanor transformed in an instant, Makarov grinning and waggling his finger at the beaten mage. "Now go home! This very minute!"

Jellal let Erza hold him close, the cries of joy from their guildmates a better balm than all of Porlyusica's medicine. _We won!_


	45. Vol. 10, Ch. 1

**Volume Ten: Two Hearts and Two Lions**

Earthland-1, Worth Woodsea, X790: Meredy

The young sensory mage gaped at the sight of the younger Jellal standing triumphant over Jose Porla. "You beat him. I mean, _he_ beat him. Younger you crushed a _Wizard Saint,"_ Meredy babbled.

"I'd hardly call that narrow victory 'crushing,' Meredy," Jellal replied, "save in the most literal sense. Sema is a highly destructive spell. I'm surprised it didn't do more damage."

Ultear chuckled. "Grim Oblivion countered a lot of the blow. Good thing, too, or those Solid Seals would have taken the hit – and so would your counterpart."

Meredy raised an eyebrow. "Not the others?"

"Do you really think he would have endangered Erza like that?" Ultear asked. Jellal's flinch was slight enough that Meredy almost missed it, but Ultear clearly caught it. "Besides, how hard was it for us to defeat Porla three years ago?"

_Good subject change, Mom,_ Meredy thought, shrugging. "He was a wreck with a few grunts, and there were three of us," she pointed out. "Honestly, it was almost a disappointment." She remembered the quivering, white-haired vagabond and the handful of ragged scavengers calling themselves a Dark Guild, and looked away. _I kind of felt sorry for them._

"There's nothing disappointing about a victory over a Dark Guild with no casualties," Jellal replied, glancing back at the crystal. "Let's pause this for a while. We should move, then check for enemy movement."

"Then we can get back to their Jellal and Erza," Ultear said, her grin like a cat's. Jellal shrugged. A light lacrima turned on over Meredy's head, and she psychically reached out to her adoptive mother. _Ooo! Mom, are you doing what I think you're doing?_

_How happy do you think they're going to be together?_ Ultear asked, grin spreading.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOTATION: This volume's name is inspired by the classic fantasy novel "Three Hearts and Three Lions" by Poul Anderson, an inspiration for elements of Dungeons and Dragons. Note: One of the "lions" is Leo, of course, but neither Erza nor Jellal is the other. :-)


	46. Vol. 10, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall Construction Site, X784: Ultear

"Dimension Arc: Restoration," Ultear chanted, and another corner of the foundation rebuilt itself. Jellal handed her a lemonade as he walked past, earning the bluenette a half-hearted glare from Titania. "Thanks," Ultear said, too tired to argue with either mage, and downed the drink in two long gulps. She followed the Starburst with a considering gaze for a few moments. _He should've been asleep hours ago,_ she thought, _but I guess serving drinks is okay as long as he doesn't get ambitious. Mavis, we all should have been asleep hours ago._ A brief flash of Jellal's fight with Porla left her shuddering for a moment. _Throwing down with a Wizard Saint right after he fought that evil cow Zalty for like the_ thousandth _time. He's as crazy as the rest of them. Rest of_ us. _Gods, if he'd made just one mistake..._

"Hey." Simon plopped down beside her holding a tall glass. "Looks like Jellal beat me to it."

"Only the drink," Ultear replied, winking at him. Simon gulped and straightened. The Arc wizard chuckled. "Gods, Simon, you are too easy." She peered at the brownish liquid he'd brought as an offering. "Unless that's stronger than lemonade, in which case, you _so_ win right now."

"West Caelum Iced Tea," Simon confirmed, handing her the glass. She took a long swallow, enjoying the gentle burn along her throat. "Not quite your favorite, but it's not a good time for the hard stuff."

"If it wasn't ungodly early and I wasn't ungodly tired," Ultear gushed, "I would finish this off and start on _you,_ construction be damned." Simon turned beet red while she took another swig. "Thought I have to admit, I'm still working off ten kinds of freaked out. We came way too close to losing people this time." She gripped the glass with both hands, almost stopping herself from shaking. Simon draped one muscular arm around her shoulders, holding Ultear as she held off another panic attack. "I keep seeing Levy, Jet, and Droy hanging from that tree. Erza tanking the Jupiter Cannon, then fighting Aria. The water witch almost drowning Gray. That metal maniac torturing Lucy and pounding on Natsu. Porla's shades demolishing the hall. Jellal getting stabbed by those death swords." Simon blinked. "Some days, my magic sucks."

"Oh." The Darkness mage sighed and hugged her a fraction more fiercely while she took another drink. "Is that why you can't sleep?"

Ultear glanced at the pre-dawn sky, then back at Simon. He sat there, waiting patiently. "Guilty as charged," she admitted. "I'd rather work on construction than have those nightmares right now. What's your excuse?"

"My best friends, and the woman I love, are having a rough time right now," Simon replied. Ultear pulled Erza's old trick of hiding her face under a curtain of hair by letting her head droop. Her face was so hot that she didn't think it'd work. "Besides, I like the night. It's dark, quiet, peaceful – good time for getting things done." He grinned. "Not much freaks out a Dark Guild more than someone being better in the shadows than they are."

**Music Cue: Fairy Tail Theme – Piano Ver.**

Ultear grinned back, though her smile faded as she regarded the guild hall once more. "Maybe I can save it," she whispered. Old memories returned, as fresh as yesterday's: _a lost girl walking through those magical doors, finding home at last; the first time Cana hugged her, a sister to match her infuriating, wonderful brother; crying as she watched five children stronger than she'd ever dreamed of being, holding up a sixth strong enough to carrying them all through Hell; watching so many other lost children find home in that hall – Natsu, Wendy, the Strauss kids, Lucy; her first kiss with Simon in the shadow of the tower._

"I wish it hadn't happened, too," Simon admitted, "but as much as I loved that place, in the end it was just bricks and wood." He tapped his chest, where his black guild mark matched Jellal's red, stamped over his heart. "This is our home. As long as we're together, _we_ are our home." He chuckled and hugged her a little closer. "Besides, Master's talking about putting in a swimming pool."

"Ah," Ultear chuckled back, wiping away the tears that had snuck up on her, "the truth comes out."

"You could say that I have," Simon began, putting on sunglasses out of nowhere, _"ultear-_ ior motives." Ultear groaned and slapped his shoulder, then shook her fingers out. His grin was sheepish, at least. "Sorry. I've been waiting for a chance to use that one when you wouldn't kill me for it." The sunglasses vanished as quickly as they'd appeared.

"Why do I put up with you, again?" Ultear sighed. Simon tapped on her glass. "Oh, right. Okay, I guess I'll keep you." She leaned into him. "Why do you put up with me, again?" she whispered.

"Don't you go Jellal on me," he retorted. Ultear laughed. "You're amazing, Ultear," he insisted, stroking her hair. _Oh, I could get used to that._ They watched as even Erza packed it in for the – well, the morning, hints of sunlight growing to the east. "You do so much, give so much, and ask for so little." He gave her a gentle squeeze. "Just the occasional fawning and mixed drinks."

"Add hair stroking to the list," Ultear purred. She let herself fall entirely into his embrace, Simon's massive frame easily taking her weight. "And you're so full of it. I'm a demanding, high-maintenance drama queen of a girlfriend."

Her boyfriend snorted, barely resisting a laugh. "Drama queen? You? Ultear, hon, you're about as drama-light as they come. The nights are fun, sure, but I fell in love with who you are when the sun rises. Smart, driven, philosophical, tough when you have to be, gentle when you can – gods, I could just _talk_ to you forever. The rest is practically a bonus."

"Good, because you know how hard it is to shut me up," she shot back, but there was no heat in her words. _Damn it,_ she thought, eyes falling to her feet. "Simon...I know you understand what it's like to lose part of your childhood to Grim, but you were strong enough to leave it behind. Sometimes, I feel like part of me is still there. That's more drama than most ten other women. I don't know why you put up with that."

"Even if that's true, it just means you're strong enough to use that part of you to protect the rest of us." Simon kissed her on her forehead. "I love all of you, drama included."

Ultear sniffled, blinking back more tears. "You big dope," she blurted, then immediately hugged him back. "I didn't mean that." Simon smiled and nodded. "Who I am in the morning, huh? I just realized, I've never been up 'til dawn before. Not where I could see the _real_ sun, at least." She gazed eastward. "Stay with me?"

"Always," Simon breathed. Ultear realized her free hand was trembling. Simon smiled and held it. She stopped shaking as they watched the sun rise.


	47. Vol. 10, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall Construction Site, X784: Lucy

"Weaklings don't belong in this guild!" Laxus snapped, his smile dagger-sharp. Erza glared at him, fingers twitching. Lucy gulped. _If those two start fighting now..._ Lucy pictured a whole new set of ruins to clear out. The guild hall had been taken down, the damage too great to repair, and reconstruction was well underway. The lightning wizard mocked poor Jet and Droy, then turned on Lucy herself. She jumped back a step and gulped. "And you, celestial spirit girl, were the main culprit."

"Shut. Up." Jellal walked in, and Laxus' smile vanished. Erza and Mirajane both gaped in disbelief. Lucy looked around, to find most of the guild staring as well. Only Natsu had a different reaction, his madman's grin wide as ever. "Master Makarov has ordered us to drop the whole thing – even your cowardly absence," the Starburst snarled.

"My _what?"_  Laxus blurted, leaping to his feet.

"You heard me." Jellal strode up to his fellow S-Class wizard, almost nose-to-nose with Laxus. "So I'll forget that you turned Mirajane down flat while Erza was recovering from a _Jupiter Cannon blast._ But if you threaten Lucy again, after she showed more courage last week than you have since we were kids, I will give you a first-hand demonstration in how I beat Porla." Lucy ducked her head as her face grew hot. _Courage? Me? All I did was run away..._

Laxus scoffed and looked away. "I wasn't talking about _you,_ Jellal," he insisted.

"I don't care," the star mage whispered. Lucy gulped harder than before. "Laxus Dreyar's my friend. I don't know who _you_ are." Golden Meteor magic gathered around one fist. "Walk away, before you fly away." Erza touched Jellal's wrist. The spell vanished.

"You don't want to do this," Laxus replied, voice so soft it shocked Lucy. "When Gramps retires, I'll be the Master. If there's one mage I don't want to kick out, it's you."

"You won't be the master of anything, Laxus," Jellal hissed back. _Oh, Zen, that whisper is when he's mad,_ Lucy realized. _I need to do something!_ She stepped forward, but Mirajane caught her arm, and when Lucy turned, the Take Over wizard was shaking her head, eyes wide. "No one inherits Fairy Tail. Becoming Master is something you _earn,_ and you're not even close."

"Who else is there?" Laxus retorted, gritting his teeth. "Gildarts hasn't done anything for three years besides call his daughters, Mirajane's still weaker than she was before the Beast, Mystogan's too scared to show his face, and you can't be around people for more than a month without needing to hide."

"Even if you were right about any of the others, you've forgotten Erza and Ur," Jellal shot back, fists clenched again even with Erza holding onto him. Titania blushed.

Laxus laughed, and Jellal's eyes began to spark. "Even if she were strong enough, Erza's crazier than the old man." Jellal snarled something Lucy couldn't make out and took a step towards Laxus, but Erza tightened her grip, halting the Starburst. "And Ur? She got beaten by a _child!_ When I'm Master, I'm going to make Fairy Tail the most powerful guild on Earthland! In _history!_ No one will ever mock us again!"

"Erza would have beaten Porla _easily,_ if she hadn't blocked Jupiter," Jellal snarled, then shuddered and composed himself. "When I see my friend again," Jellal said, whisper more quiet than ever, "I'll be happy to help him protect our guild. The bully who's mouthing off in front of me will never be Fairy Tail's Master. _I swear it."_ Laxus snarled back, then vanished in a burst of lightning.

Lucy was only half-listening while Mirajane explained to her how Laxus was actually Master Makarov's grandson (unlike the rest of them, who might as well have been adopted). _They're still blushing,_ Lucy realized, Erza and Jellal's hands flying apart as if they'd been burned. Mirajane laughed. "Yep! They've turned into Alzack and Bisca, all right," the She-Demon noted.

"So!" Erza blurted, turning her attention to Salamander. "What do you say? Feel up to a job?" She looked over, where Lucy and Gray were sitting at the bar. _He's eating ice cubes like popcorn,_ Lucy realized, Gray munching on the odd snack with gusto. "Gray and Lucy as well, of course." Gray gasped, while Lucy felt her face get warm. "It feels like we've been a team since the Eisenwald mission, after all. Perhaps we should make it official."

There was considerable chatter about the "new" team – focused largely on Erza's rather delayed notice of it – while Lucy glanced at Jellal. _Erza didn't even mention him,_ she thought. _I guess that would be overkill. Maybe._ Lucy turned back to Mirajane, whose more devious smile had replaced the welcoming one. Lucy gulped. "What about Jellal, Erza?" Mira asked.

Erza turned her infamous glare on Mira, who promptly hid behind Lucy. "He's still recovering," she snapped, arms crossed. "There will be no talk of Jellal going on missions until he's fully healed."

Jellal chuckled, and Erza's fury vanished like Gray's clothes. "I'm fine, Erza. It's been a week. Even Porla couldn't keep me down for that long."

"Jellal!" Erza objected, turning on him with wide eyes. "Porlyusica said _two_ weeks! You're not even supposed to be helping with the hall!" Mirajane leaned over the bar, and Lucy was surprised to find her smile turning more cunning than ever. "You're staying here."

"Erza," Jellal sighed.

Erza blushed and looked away. "Please," she whispered. _Wow,_ Lucy thought. _Erza, using something like that against Jellal? He won't stand a chance. She must really be worried._

On cue, Jellal hung his head in defeat. "As you wish," he said, smiling gently. The guild laughed as one. Even as Lucy worried that she wasn't strong enough to keep up with Erza, Natsu, and Gray, her thoughts flickered to the not-couple and Mirajane's obvious schemes for them. _I'll worry about them later,_ she decided. _I'm probably going to have my hands full with this Lupinas cult mission._


	48. Vol. 10, Ch. 4

Earthland-2, Fairy Hills, X784: Ultear

"So that's the plan," Lady Voice explained. "Do you think your Arc of Time is up to the task?"

Ultear sighed. "I still feel a little weird, sticking my nose into Jellal's past like that," she explained, "but I guess I've got enough Time magic to look at that moment. I wouldn't exactly call it _Arc_ of Time, though."

"Very well," Lady Voice replied, her presence fading. "Mirajane should be talking with Lucy soon. Scatter Loke's girlfriends, and you should have the celestial wizard's support."

"Thanks," Ultear gushed, doubts vanishing as she thought about their scheme. "I've wanted to get those two off their butts for months now." She concentrated, the short hop to the construction site simple enough that she didn't need an incantation.

Things seemed calm enough. Natsu and Gray were literally butting heads, which was nothing new; that blue-haired water mage from Phantom Lord was still hiding while she stalked Gray; and Lucy was at the bar with Mirajane. Everyone else was either working on the guild hall or somewhere else. _No, wait, there's Loke,_ Ultear realized. One grin later, she was sneaking up on the ring mage.

He gasped when she hooked her arm around his. "U-Ultear!" he stammered, wriggling his arm in an escape attempt.

"Oh no you don't," she insisted, tightening her grip. "We're getting Jellal and Erza together tonight, and you're going to help."

She blinked. Loke's smile was sad, almost like Jellal's when he remembered the Tower. "Ah," he replied, his struggle halting. "Do you really think this will work?"

"I got some advice from Lady Voice," Ultear explained, leading him towards Mirajane and Lucy, "and we're going to have help." Loke gasped and babbled excuses, but the space mage paid him no heed. "Oi, Mirajane!"

"Ultear!" Mira called, waving merrily. "What brings you here?"

"Chasing off Loke's girlfriends, apparently," Ultear explained, "and finally getting through to our favorite pair of clueless super-heroes." She held up her hand, a small Arc of Space forming over her palm. "I'm going to use my Time Magic to see what happened, you know, that night."

Lucy blinked. "Which night?"

Mirajane gasped and clasped her hands. "The night Jellal asked Erza out?" Ultear nodded.

"You can't!" Lucy objected, glaring at Ultear. "That's invasion of privacy!"

Ultear grinned at the celestial wizard. "Think of it as repaying all of Erza's unannounced visits to your house," she suggested.

"Well..." Lucy pursed her lips. "...okay. As long as it's for a good cause." _Got her._

"I don't see why you need me," Loke interjected, tugging gently at where Ultear held him.

"We want you to lure Jellal into place," Mira explained, rubbing her hands together. Lucy swallowed. "Just say that your thing is acting up or whatever."

"That'll be easy enough," Loke muttered. Ultear glanced at him. _Are you okay?_ she wondered, but the playboy grinned at her in his usual disarming fashion. "Nothing serious. When am I ever serious?"

"You mean besides last night?" Lucy muttered, pouting.

Mirajane and Ultear looked at Lucy, then each other. Ultear let Loke go. "Loke, if this is a bad time," she began.

"No!" Loke objected, holding up his hands. "No, this is the perfect time. I'm really glad you did this now, Ul."

"Only Mom and Simon get to call me that," Ultear retorted, grimacing at him. "Fine, then. Let's do this. Dimension Arc: Rewind." She concentrated on the Arc in her palm, thinking about last autumn, gateway image whirling through space and time.

_Erza trudged across the Magnolia border, eyes unfocused, as the night sky glittered above. "Gods, what a day," she sighed, holding her head. "Who knew wyverns could hit so hard?"_

"Really, Erza?" Mira sighed.

"Shh!" Ultear, Loke, and Lucy all insisted. Mira clamped both hands over her mouth and nodded.

_After a minute of plodding down the street, feeling the weight of her luggage cart with every step, she saw a familiar pair of black boots and looked up. There was Jellal, smiling and holding a – single rose? "Erza," he whispered, eyes bright in the darkness._

_"Jellal," she replied, blinking. "What are you doing here?"_

_Jellal's smile vanished, and he darted to her side. "Are you all right?" he asked._

_"O-of course," she insisted, blushing and looking away. "They were just wyverns. Were you looking for me?"_

_"Yes," he breathed, holding out the rose. Erza blinked at it. "I've been afraid to say this for so long. Too long."_

_"You can say anything to me, Jellal," Erza insisted. "You know that. Can we head to Fairy Hills in the meantime? I want to put this away." She indicated her luggage with a tug._

_"Of course." They walked side by side, Erza glancing at the rose. "May I?" She nodded, then blinked again when he put it in her hair. "Erza. We've been blessed in the years since we joined Fairy Tail. Our family has grown, and each of us has made new friends...but in all that time, no one's ever been more precious to me than you."_

_"I feel the same way," Erza said, rubbing the back of her neck._

_Jellal's smile was like the dawn, even with night fallen around them. "Then I want to ask you to go out with me."_

_Again, Erza blinked, shaking her head in a futile effort to clear it. "We go out together all the time."_

_Jellal's smile vanished again. "No, I mean – out, together, just the two of us. You know..." his voice weakened and trailed off. "On a..." even through the gateway, they weren't sure if he'd said "date" or not. "Like couples do."_

_Erza stopped, turned, and looked Jellal in the eyes. She leaned a bit closer, peering deep into them. Jellal's eyes widened, blushing a red so deep that his birthmark nearly vanished into it. "Like a couple of what?"_

Ultear and Lucy gaped, eyes wide and round, the Arc wizard so stunned she froze the gateway without thinking. Loke sighed. Mirajane slapped her forehead hard enough that Ultear thought she'd leave a bruise. "Erza, you idiot!" Mira snapped.

"They can't hear us, can they?" Lucy blurted.

"My magic doesn't work that way," Ultear explained. "They can't hear us any more than the characters in a lacrima show can." She shook her head, then directed the scene to continue.

_Jellal laughed, eyes closed and hand on his forehead. "Sorry. I'm being ridiculous, aren't I?" Erza shook her head, trudging forward again. "Erza," he said, and Titania looked up to find him as serious as she'd ever seen him. "You know that nothing is more precious to me than our friendship, right?" Erza nodded. "No matter what, I never want that to change."_

_The knight-mage sighed, shoulders slumping._ "Now _you're being ridiculous, Jellal. Nothing could ever harm our friendship."_

_"Thank you, Erza." Jellal exhaled, then gestured to the luggage cart. "May I?"_

_"I can manage," Erza insisted._

_"Of course you can," Jellal replied. "That's not the point, You're tired, and I took a day off. I don't need any reason to aid you, except to know I've helped a friend." Erza chuckled, shrugged, and let her hand fall away from the handle. The Starburst gestured, and the cart followed them like an obedient dog._

Ultear let the Arc fall apart, still staring at the empty space. "No wonder Jellal was so crushed," Mirajane groaned. Four young ladies Ultear recognized started stalking towards them. Ultear turned her "Erza" glare on them, and they all squealed and fled. Loke turned, going pale as he watched them run.

"I wonder if she ever figured it out," Ultear muttered, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

Lucy leaped to her feet. "Of course not!" she insisted. "Erza obviously had a rough time with those monsters and didn't want Jellal to know!" She frowned and looked away. "No one in Fairy Tail wants to let anyone see their pain. We're all bad about it, but Erza's probably the worst."

"No, Gray is," Mirajane and Ultear said in one voice. Juvia gasped behind them, but Ultear was sure the others hadn't heard her. "Erza's definitely a close second, though," Mira added.

"Gray?" Lucy asked, head cocked to one side. Then she shook it quickly. "Not the time. Now that we know what happened, it's obvious they just need to talk."

"That's on Erza," Mirajane insisted. "Jellal told me he won't be 'that guy,' the friend who pesters a woman in his life for more than she's willing to give." She crossed her arms. "Which is wonderful, except he thinks Erza was trying to let him down easy when she was just being dense!"

"So that's why he hasn't made another move," Loke chuckled, shaking his head. "Honestly, that guy's too sweet for his own good."

"Unlike you," Lucy snapped. "He really doesn't need your advice, Loke." Loke's face fell, and he looked sadder than Ultear had ever seen him. Before the space mage could object, though, the blonde's eyes widened. "That's it!"

"What is?" Mirajane asked, smile covering half her face. Lucy's grin matched Mira's at her most cunning. _Ooo. This might be a good one,_ Ultear decided.


	49. Vol. 10, Ch. 5

Earthland-2, Magnolia, X784: Erza

 _Ahhh._ The legendary Titania pushed away the plate that had once held a superior slice of strawberry cake. _There's nothing like a few cakes after a long day of construction work._ She dabbed at her mouth with the thoughtfully-provided napkin, bowed to the bakers, and strode into the peaceful Magnolia evening. Sunset was just beginning, and with just the right number of clouds in the sky, it looked to be a spectacular one.

A woman cleared her throat, and Erza brought her thoughts and gaze back to Earth. There, standing before her with her hands clasped, was Lucy. She was looking down, nibbling at her lower lip. "Lucy?" Erza asked. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't want to impose," Lucy muttered, one foot twisting on the cobblestones. "I wouldn't mind someone to talk to, though – if you're not busy, I mean," she finished in a rush.

"Nonsense!" Erza insisted, striding to Lucy's side and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "What are _nakama_ for?"

"Thanks," Lucy said, twiddling her fingers. "Okay. So, I – I have this friend," she began.

Erza smiled, one eyebrow raised. "And what troubles this 'friend' of yours?"

"Well, um, she has the perfect guy, you know? He's sweet, and kind, and smart, and gorgeous, and he's always there for – her." Erza chuckled. _Gods, Lucy, you're terrible at this,_ she thought, but refused to interrupt. "It's just, she might have not expressed herself in the most ideal way when he..." Lucy swallowed. Hard. "...poured his heart out to her. I mean, it wasn't exactly perfect and he might have brushed it off when – _she_ missed it," Lucy stammered, "but now he thinks she doesn't like him the same way he likes her, and I don't – I'm sure she doesn't know what to do."

Erza fought back a blush. _Mavis and Chronos. That sounds familiar. Poor Lucy._ She shook her head. "Do you believe that this man will forgive, ahem, your friend?"

"Oh, absolutely!" Lucy replied, brightening. "It'll be like it never happened. Um, she just has to come clean, I'm sure of it!" Then her face fell. "She just doesn't know how."

"Well, then," Erza said, nodding. "Clearly, we must help this friend to confront her beloved."

"But how?" Lucy asked, biting her lip again. "She doesn't exactly fall apart around him, but I don't even recognize my – my _friend,_ around this guy," she stammered.

"Do you know where your friend's beloved is?" Erza asked. Lucy's eyes widened, and she nodded. "Very well. Lead the way, and I will advise you while we find him."

Lucy gulped. "Well, okay..." She took Erza's hand and led her through Magnolia's alleys.

 _That confirms it,_ Erza thought, feeling triumphant. _If "she" had been a friend, which was clearly not the case, you would have wanted to find her first. This contest is over._ She cleared her throat. "Begin with an admission of your error. Don't apologize at first, you'll lead up to it."

"So there is an apology," Lucy noted, "but not right away. Why?"

"If the gentleman is as noble as you say, the straightforward approach is best," Erza explained, face growing warm again. _How many times have I gone over my own confrontation with Jellal?_ she wondered. "He will probably dismiss your mistake. That is when you pounce with your apology."

"'Pounce?'" Lucy asked, blinking.

"Mm, mm." Erza nodded for emphasis. "If he has decided that you do not return his more tender feelings, he will need reassurance that you do. Try being profuse with your apology, but the most important thing is to be sincere."

Lucy nodded back. "And then?" she asked.

"You will have to do a certain amount of improvisation," Titania said, swallowing a sigh. "You need to react appropriately to his response. If he is still shy or uncertain, you must emphasize your passion, that you truly love him. If he shows signs of reciprocation, guide him into your embrace." Somehow, Erza knew her smile was wistful. "If he responds with enthusiasm, you will need no further guidance, I'm sure."

"Thank you, Erza," Lucy gushed, leading Erza to Fountain Square and letting go of her hand. The angel fountain was spraying water high into the air, the light of early sunset making it seem it was aflame. Beyond it stood Loke... _That playboy? If he breaks Lucy's heart, I will –_

...and Jellal. "Your advice was perfect."

Erza turned as red as her hair, she just knew it. _Gods!_ She turned around, only to find Lucy standing between her and the alley they'd emerged from, smile kind but arms crossed. "Wh-what is the meaning of this?" she tried to demand, but the words came out in a squeak.

"I told you," Lucy replied, putting her hands on Erza's shoulders. "I have this friend. She's brave and kind and strong and wonderful, and she saved me from a living nightmare." For the first time since the Tower, Erza felt faint. "The perfect guy's in love with her, but she'd had a really rough day when he confessed, and now he's too worried about being a pest to try again. So it's up to her to tell him how she feels."

"I can't," Erza breathed, the truth descending like Sema. "I didn't realize what happened for _months._ He gave me a rose. I remember staring it. It was dead. Oh gods, Lucy, I broke his heart, I'm a coward, I don't deserve him–" At some point, Erza had started crying.

The tears stopped when Lucy threw her arms around Erza. "You're the bravest person I've ever known. You _do_ deserve this. You're just as amazing as he is. The two of you have been through so much. Isn't the chance for happiness worth fighting for?"

 _She...she did this for me..._ Erza gulped, wiped her eyes, and nodded. Lucy released her, giving the redhead a thumbs up. Then she looked down at her everyday Heart Kreuz armor. "Zen, I look ridiculous."

"You look like Titania, the strongest woman in all Ishgar," Lucy encouraged, waving her towards Jellal. "Now go get him."

 _I'd rather face Porla again. Two Porlas._ Taking a deep breath, she straightened, gathered her wavering courage, and turned to march towards Jellal. Loke was already retreating. Jellal's smile was sad and beaten, and daggers tore through Erza's heart. "Erza," he whispered, but somehow his smile never wavered. "I'm sorry. I'm sure they meant well."

"They do," Erza squeaked, her eyes going wide, "but it's not what you think."

"You don't have to do this," Jellal said, striding towards her. _How is he so strong?_ she wondered, legs quivering. _If I thought he was coming to tell me he didn't love me, I'd fall apart._ He took a familiar deep breath. "You are my best friend. I'll never ask you for more than you can give."

"I made a mistake!" Erza blurted, rushing over to him and grabbing his hand with both of hers. "I didn't want you to worry and one of the wyverns hit me on the head and I'd been up for two days and I was an idiot!"

**Music Cue: Kizuna**

Jellal blinked, staring in what Erza knew had to be utter confusion. "Erza, what in Mavis' name are you talking about?"

"The night, with the – the rose!" Erza blurted, her hands shaking even clasped with his. "I didn't realize what you were saying." Jellal's eyes bulged, and he stared in abject disbelief. "I know, it shouldn't have been possible for me not to understand, but –" she bowed, her head almost reaching their hands. "Please forgive me!" she begged, her own advice forgotten.

"Erza," he replied, gently guiding her upright, "you've done nothing that requires forgiveness."

"Of course I have!" she demanded, shaking her head. "I should have spoken to you about this m-months ago," Erza stammered, the sudden burst of determination wavering. "You thought I didn't – that I _don't –_ I hadn't realized what you were trying to say, I was a fool for so long, but I've known since Valentine's Day, and I was too afraid," she continued, bowing her head to hide her tears behind a curtain of hair, "no, too much of a _coward_ to admit what I'd done."

Jellal swallowed. "Wh-what do you mean?" he whispered, then shook his head rapidly. "No, Erza, you're being too hard on yourself."

"I'm not," she insisted, "because I – I want – if I'd realized, I would have said that..." Erza trailed off as their eyes met. She was frozen, consumed by his stare as Jellal's beautiful hazel eyes widened to saucers. _Say it,_ she railed. _Say it!_ Erza took a deep breath and gulped. "...I love you," she whispered.

"You...what?" Jellal gasped.

Erza felt like her heart stopped. "I – I understand if you moved on, or if you're angry, or – but I had to say it, and I need you to know that your friendship is the most precious thing in the world to me too, but I've never stopped dreaming about you, about _us,_ and I've never regretted anything more than that day, not even the Tower, so if you still feel the same way about me–"

Jellal kissed her.

 _Gods!_ Erza gasped, no other thought able to form. She burned, but it was glorious, the fire inside pure rapture. If Jellal consumed her in that moment, it would be true heaven to blaze inside him forever.

Their lips parted. "I love you too," Jellal whispered, brushing her hair aside. He wiped the tears away with gentle fingertips, and Erza quivered. _He – he still –_ All the sadness fell away from his smile, and he was her Jellal again, shining like a star, unbreakable kindness incarnate. "I've always loved you. Even before I knew what that feeling was or understood how you could matter more than anyone else, I knew that place in my heart was for you alone." He cupped her cheek in his free hand. "That there would never be any other."

Erza let his hand go, then threw her arms around Jellal and kissed him back. Hers was fierce and hungry where his had been gentle and inviting. She held onto Jellal as though the whole world might try to take him away from her. _I won't allow it,_ she decided, enjoying the feel of him shuddering against her. _From this day forth, he is mine, and I am his!_

It took the first cheer to make her release him. Erza spun around, jaw dropping at the sight of Mirajane and Ultear holding each other and crying past enormous smiles. Lucy waved from a window. Gray laughed and gave them a thumbs-up. Levy jumped in place and waved. Millianna and Shou were almost a mirror of image of Mira and Ultear, just with less cheering and more weeping with joy. Loke smiled at them from a rooftop. Lisanna came out from another alley, mouth covered by her hands as she cried as well. It quickly became a pointless exercise to pick out individual wizards, with so many emerging to cheer them on.

"C-come on," Erza said, grabbing Jellal's hand again, "let's find somewhere a bit more private."

"Try a lot more private!" Cana laughed.

"AYE!" the rest of the guild echoed, joining in the laughter.

She towed him through the streets of Magnolia, her whole body aflame, caught between mortification and ecstasy. "Did everyone know?" she muttered, not at all sure where she wanted to take him.

"It seems that way," Jellal admitted, chuckling. "Well, maybe Natsu didn't, but that's Natsu for you. Erza, where are we going?"

"I – I don't know." Erza glanced around, catching her reflection in a window. _It appears that I am, in fact, blushing like a schoolgirl,_ she realized. "Right now, I just want you to myself." She skidded to a halt, eyes bulging, Jellal stopping in time only thanks to years of practice being yanked along by Titania. "I mean – !" Erza let him go, ducking her head again. "I suppose that was exactly what I meant, but...I don't want to push you farther than you're willing, either."

Even Jellal's chuckle was gentle. "Isn't that my line?" he asked.

"No," she admitted. _You're still innocent in so many ways,_ Erza thought, _while your "angelic" knight consumes smut faster than Natsu eats fire._ She twiddled her fingers. "You've always let me decide how we...do things. After what happened, I want you to set the pace, at least at first." She looked up again, smiling at him. "I'll let you know if I want us to move faster."

"Or slower," Jellal prodded.

Erza's eyes met his. "That will not happen," she insisted, managing to be forceful despite feeling like her face would burst into flame. "I want to be with you, Jellal, but you've always let yourself be mine, and I want – I _need_ you to know that I am yours as well."

"Then let's start with something simple, that we both enjoy." Jellal held out his hand, his blush rivaling hers. "The bakery's not far."

"You said both of us," Erza demanded, crossing her arms.

"I haven't indulged in chocolate in a while. What do you say?" His smile captured Erza's heart.

 _It did that ten years ago._ Erza smiled back and took his hand again. "Lead the way."

The next hour was paradise on Earthland. They talked and laughed as they hadn't in months. Jellal told her about his idea for lacrima games, making simpler versions of training crystals that anyone could use. Erza described her latest armor design, Armadura Fairy. _Of course he wants to help,_ Erza thought, smiling as she listened to him gush over how she could draw on so much magic, while suggesting a few lacrima upgrades. They shared embarrassed chuckles over their mutual One Piece addiction, discovering they both shipped Zorobin. She inhaled slices of strawberry cake while he savored every bite of his "triple chocolate suicide."

When their respective confectionaries were gone, Erza took his hand again, her smile so wide it almost hurt. "We should have done this months ago. Years."

"We haven't been adults for that long," Jellal pointed out.

Erza snorted. "Sixteen isn't too old to _date,_ Jellal. I still remember the day you made S-Class." She looked down, tracing curls on the table with her free hand. "Gildarts had blown your shirt off before you could get past him. After that final race in the maze with you and Mira, well..." Erza played at her lip with her teeth. "Gods, you were _gorgeous._ I almost asked you out then and there."

Jellal rubbed the back of his neck, eyes dancing away. "Why didn't you?"

"I told you. Cowardice." Erza sighed and looked at her plate. She ran one finger along the last few crumbs, scooping them up and placing them on her tongue. "You were – _are_ – like a god of wisdom and magic, always helping others, graceful and brilliant. I felt so clumsy around you," she admitted, "like a monster admiring an angel."

"That's Siegrain talking," Jellal insisted, his eyes snapping back to hers. "You are Titania, the Fairy Queen. You're a legend across Ishgar. You've saved whole towns, beaten hordes of monsters, brought entire dark guilds to justice. I'm the one who should strive to be worthy of you."

"Never," Erza replied, sliding her chair closer to his. "I can't imagine you being better than you already are." Jellal glanced away again, cheeks flushing. Erza shook her head. "No. We're not doing this any longer. We've both wasted enough time as it is to worry about worth or–"

Ultear popped into existence outside the bakery. "Jellal, Erza," she cried, looking in the window. "Thank Zen!"

They leaped to their feet, cake and romance alike forgotten. "Ultear, what's wrong?"

"It's Loke," she explained, "he's vanished! All his stuff is gone, he broke up with all his girlfriends, and he left a farewell note. You've been treating him, Jellal, is Loke all right?"

Jellal paled. "He's been leaking ethernano, but it shouldn't have been serious," he said, hands shaking. "It affected his Ring Magic, but nothing human would..." He looked into the sky. Night had fallen while they'd talked. "...three years..."

Ultear raised an eyebrow, but Erza knew what he meant, at least in part. "That's how long Loke has been in Fairy Tail," Titania said. "Is that relevant?"

"There was a celestial spirit mage in Blue Pegasus," he whispered. "Karen Lilica. She vanished fighting Angel of the Oracion Seis, presumed dead. Angel has since been seen using Aries...but not Leo." Erza gasped and followed Jellal's gaze to the Lion constellation. "Regulus. The light of the King Star! The _one_ memory I have of – how did I not see? Gods, why didn't he tell me?"

"Later, Jellal! _Requip!"_ Erza switched to her Flight Armor. "We have to find him. If you're right, only you and Lucy can save him now. Fly!"

Jellal nodded. "Meteor." Together, they shot up, then soared over Magnolia in ever-widening circles. For several minutes, neither of them spotted anything helpful.

Then, out among the waterfalls beyond Magnolia, a shaft of golden light erupted, piercing the heavens themselves. _Erza,_ Jellal sent, _that's Celestial Spirit Magic!_

 _Let's go!_ Erza replied, and together they shot towards the light. As they approached, the magic power intensified, a swirling vortex tearing at the fabric of magic itself.

 _It's Lucy!_ Jellal thought, and Erza could feel him starting to panic. _She's tearing at the veil between Earthland and the spirit world!_ He increased speed, and Erza had to struggle to keep up.

 _What's wrong, Jellal?_ Erza worried, watching the vortex grow.

 _The spirit world itself is fighting her,_ Jellal explained, his panic taking hold. _If she keeps this up, it could kill her!_ They approached a long, narrow cliff. _Lilica's grave,_ her beloved realized. _Loke – he went there to die –_

All at once, the light vanished and the vortex disappeared. A great tunnel between worlds open, swirling stars obscured by the waterfall roaring _up._ A titanic figure appeared in a swirl of unimaginable magic power, his armor truly that of a god, his mustache as long as the both of them together. At last, they spotted Lucy and Loke, clutching each other on their knees as they stared up at the giant newcomer.

Jellal gaped as he landed, dropping to one knee and bowing his head. Erza darted to his side. "Jellal?" she asked.

"Seireio," he breathed, trembling. "The Celestial Spirit King, ruler of Heaven – the _real_ Heaven." They listened as he pronounced reluctant sentence on their guildmate for his indirect involvement in Lilica's death.

"I don't care," Erza hissed, reaching for her sword. _If he's going to kill a Fairy Tail wizard–_

Jellal's hand raced out, taking her wrist. "Wait," he whispered. "Let Lucy try first." Erza blinked, then listened as the gentle blonde demanded that Loke be declared innocent. She pleaded and argued, then erupted in golden light again.

Erza gasped. Jellal looked up, staring in complete awe. _I don't know much about Celestial Spirit Magic,_ Titania thought, _but that many spirits at once – five of them from the Zodiac – surely that must be a thing out of legend!_

It didn't take long for Lucy to collapse. Erza rushed to their friend, Jellal right behind her. "Erza? Jellal? What are you doing here?" Loke – Leo – blurted.

Lucy ignored them, reading Seireio the riot act again. "If you're a spirit, then you understand how they feel too!" She collapsed into Loke's arms. "How _we_ feel!" she added, gesturing at Erza and Jellal as well as herself.

For long, painful seconds, Seireio watched them, the only movement the billowing of his cape. That close, Titania could feel the overwhelming, unimaginable _power_ resting within the gigantic figure before them. Erza prepared to requip into her Purgatory Armor. _He's a spirit – it won't kill him,_ she told herself, pulse a roar in her ears. It took a moment to realize the king was speaking. "...then perhaps the law is in the wrong." She watched, her own awe matching Jellal's, as Seireio commuted Leo's sentence to entering Lucy's service. Erza and Jellal helped each other stand, watching a star as bright as the sun recede into the spirit world. Loke and Lucy rose as well, the Zodiac's leader placing his hand in hers before returning home. All that remained was his key in her palm.

"Gods," Jellal breathed. "You summoned the Celestial Spirit King – and talked him down. You saved Leo the Lion, on the same day you helped us find each other." He gestured to Erza, staring at the diminutive spirit mage and shaking his head. "What are you?"

Lucy grinned at Jellal, throwing out a thumbs-up. "I'm a Fairy Tail wizard!"

Erza couldn't help but laugh. "Well said!"


	50. Vol. 11, Ch. 1

**Volume Eleven: The Tower (XVI)**

Earthland-1, Waas Forest, X790: Jellal

"Akane Resort," Jellal rumbled, frowning. _Why is this happening?_ he wondered.

Ultear placed a hand on Jellal's shoulder. "Neither of us had anything to do with that," she reminded him. "That truly was Leo's gratitude. Your friends are free, and members of Fairy Tail. Zen God, Simon is my counterpart's paramour."

Meredy looked from Jellal to Ultear and back. "M-maybe we should work on penetrating their Grimoire Heart's wards."

"Agreed," Jellal said, summoning the necessary Letter Magic. _I have a bad feeling about this..._

ANNOTATION: "XVI" is the Roman numeral "16" – which is how the card "The Tower" is numbered in the Major Arcana of the Tarot.


	51. Vol. 11, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Akane Resort, X784: Jellal

Jellal watched the sun set in the distance, stretched out on the lounge chair, letting the warmth of the evening soak in. _Today was amazing. Playing ridiculous games, running around on the beach, swimming in that perfect surf...all of us, laughing, being silly...Erza's smile, always there. I could almost wish it would never end._ He closed his eyes. _Except it'll be nighttime soon. The others are going to try out the casino. That leaves Erza and me – just the two of us, with the whole resort to choose from._ He felt comfortable all the way into his bones. It was a feeling he'd never experienced. _It'll be a little work getting her to tell me what she'll enjoy most, but it'll be worth it._ It felt like gentle flying...

_Impossible barking echoed in the distance. Giant hounds with no fur or eyes stalked caverns of stone and unnatural steel. Moving corpses floated through halls, symbols draped over their faces to serve as magical weapons. Cruel guards beat helpless children, sickly captives, elderly slaves. The sound of metal on rock echoed forever. Jellal ran, but it was like fighting through quicksand. They dragged his friends away one by one. Millianna, screaming for her big brother to save her as they carried her off. Wally, kicking and fighting until they beat him to a helpless pulp. Shou, choking and sobbing as they whipped him senseless. Uncle Rob, dying again and again as he disintegrated into the ether itself. Simon, trying to rise every time they stomped him into the ground._

_Erza, bound and tortured, as countless leering guards surrounded her. She was a tiny, shivering child. She was a beautiful, voluptuous woman. Master Porla pulled Erza to her feet by her hair, his face covered by a Cult mask. "Jellal!" she screamed. "Help me!_ Please! _JELLAL!" Then Porla removed the mask and turned into Jellal himself, laughing with a madman's smile and conjuring a Dead Blade. Mad Jellal raised it behind Erza’s back, while the dreaming Jellal shrank into a child, still running, screaming, helpless as the blade came down–_

"Jellal! Jellal, _wake up,"_ Erza commanded, holding his shoulders and shaking him.

He obeyed, eyes flying wide open. There were cracks on the balcony hand rail. "Gods," he breathed. "Did I hurt anyone?"

"It's fine, just a mild tremor, a few broken glasses, nothing you can't afford," Erza insisted, stroking his hair as he wrapped his arms around his chest. "Nightmare?" He nodded, too sick inside to speak. _I'll never be free,_ he thought, eyes squeezing shut. _Why do I keep deluding myself otherwise?_ She guided him around until he was sitting upright, then put one hand on his cheek. "Tell me." His jaw clenched. "Please," she whispered.

"I was...back. There." He buried his face in his hands. "You were being taken away. All of you, one by one, screaming, suffering, dying, and I couldn't stop it. Then they were about to kill you, and it was _me_ holding the blade," Jellal whispered.

Erza wrapped him in an embrace that drove away the terror. "It was just a dream," she insisted. "You are the living shield of this land, and they can never hurt us again." She let him go and stood, guiding him to his feet. "Come on," she said, her smile a light to banish what darkness remained. "You were going to take me on a date, remember?" She leaned in, her grin taking on a cunning angle. "There was something about candles and flowers, and I know you promised me strawberry cake..."

Jellal chuckled. "I know better than to come between Titania and her pastries," he said, letting her guide him to his suitcase. Erza pouted when he shooed her out of the room so he could change, but the gasp he got when he came out in his new suit was worth it. _Note to self: I owe Mira one,_ he thought, smiling.

It was almost surreal, doing something as mundane as riding a lift together, but the candy-colored games and decorations were a more "normal" weirdness. Natsu had gotten into an argument with a giant gumball machine – _and he's losing,_ Jellal realized, swallowing a laugh. Lucy and Gray were playing different card games, both of them hiding smiles at Natsu's tantrum. Happy, of course, was at his partner's side, supportive (and ridiculous) as ever.

Cascading blue hair above an identically blue dress brought Jellal to a halt, his smile vanishing. _Lockser,_ he realized, the former Phantom wizard striding towards the ice mage. _Erza,_ he sent to her, _incoming._ His beloved raised an eyebrow and looked in Juvia's direction.

Titania's only response was to chuckle. _Relax, Jellal,_ she replied, _she's no longer our enemy._ Erza mentally pointed out the large golden Fairy Tail necklace Juvia wore.

Jellal's jaw twitched. _It could be a ruse,_ he grumbled, concern becoming chagrin when Erza's mental response was laughter.

_She has a crush on Gray,_ Erza explained, hiding her smile behind a raised hand. _I know what that's like._

Jellal shook his head, then looked for their table. _She's been skulking around the construction site for days. I thought she was just working up the nerve to join, but it's starting to look like Juvia was stalking him._

Erza's smile vanished, and her blush went all the way into her thoughts. _Calling it stalking is a bit much, don't you think?_ she sent back.

"Why don't you rein in Natsu?" Jellal chuckled. "I'll go see about your cake." Erza nodded with enthusiasm and headed for the Dragon Slayer, while Jellal walked towards the tables.

A flicker of dark cloth caught the corner of the Starburst's eye, and Jellal turned to find Mystogan disappearing around a corner. _What the Grim?_ he wondered, scowling and rushing to follow. _Myst, what are you doing here?_ There was no response to the psychic call, Mystogan gliding down two further halls before disappearing into a supply room. _Myst, this is no time to play hide-and-seek._ The star mage threw open the door, his patience fraying.

Simon stood there, wearing an unfamiliar robe and a skull-like headpiece. He was twitching, but otherwise seemed paralyzed. "The Grim? Simon, what's going on?" The Darkness wizard's jaw trembled, but he said nothing. "Gods, are you all right?"

"D-Dark...Moment!" Simon gasped, magic gesture twitching out, and shadows swallowed the world.

Jellal's eyes widened, doing him no good in the supernatural miasma. "Meteor!" he chanted, crouching defensively and throwing as much Wave Magic into his explosive aura as he could spare. That saved him from the first capture tube spiraling at him from behind. _Millianna too?_ he wondered, darting straight backwards. Light erupted back into the world, and Jellal discovered that he was right about his adopted sister. Millianna had pressed her back against the wall, trembling, arms outstretched in her tube-casting stance. "Milli, it's me, Jellal!"

"Nii...san..." she whimpered, a second tube swirling from her palms. Jellal swatted it aside, only to find Wally appearing in a storm of cubes to his right. A swirling vortex of cards rounded a corner to Jellal's left, stacking itself in Shou's quivering hand. Simon teleported into the doorway of the room Jellal had just fled, tears trickling down his cheeks. _Surrounded, and my oldest friends have all been possessed. Not good._

They all attacked at once, in perfect coordination born from years of teamwork. Shou threw a five-card draw around Jellal, two prison cards intermingled with a three-card magic-draining spread. Milli shot out another capture tube that was angled to force him into Shou's trap. Simon's Darkness Cage lashed out from underneath to keep him from evading. Wally's polygon trap formed above Jellal, reaching down to pin him in place.

It took all of the Starburst's power and skill to counter the attack. He poured most of his energy into the Wave-enhanced Meteor aura, repelling Milli's tube and Simon's shadows. Cosmic Fireworks drove back Wally's blocks. That left Shou's Full House Flash, which Jellal dealt with by dodging behind Simon. Shou pulled back his cards to avoid catching his partner in the trap, while Simon recoiled instinctively. That gave Jellal a fraction of a second to examine the tall, muscular darkness mage.

There was a familiar lacrima sliver imbedded at the base of Simon's neck. Even though it was smaller than the others Jellal had encountered, and clear enough to be nearly invisible, the cosmic mage had seen enough like it to recognize the vile thing immediately. _Zalty._ He cracked it with a single blow from his fingertip, then prepared to remove it.

Before Jellal could react further, a blur of gold and black punched him in the jaw and kicked him in the stomach. Jellal stumbled and fell to one knee, barely holding off another capture tube. He was forced to tank one of Wally's blasts. _Ow. What?_ When he looked up, Jellal stared slack-jawed at Mystogan, towering over him with his arms crossed. Even with his vision blurring, Jellal was able to make out the hints of blue hair and red birth marks on one side. "I'm sorry, Jellal," Myst whispered, then held out his hand. Already disoriented, Jellal tried to form a Solid Seal, but Milli's third capture tube pinned one arm to his body, limiting his magic power, and Mystogan's fist descended like Sema –

-FT- -FT- -FT-

When Jellal came to, his entire head throbbed. "Unh," he grunted, trying to move. Aside from discovering he was sitting on some kind of bench, the effort was a complete failure. He was wrapped in bandages and capture tubes, practically mummified, and a chain ran from his back to the wall behind him. _No magic, and I can barely wriggle. This is bad._

"Yes, yes, awake at last," Zalty laughed, entering the cell. It was a bare-bones prison, with dull gray masonry in every direction but straight ahead, where a wall of iron bars let in the room's only light. The cell's sole furnishing was the bench Jellal unwillingly sat on. Unable to do anything else, Jellal examined his captor. _She's never looked more human,_ he realized as the slender woman grinned at him. _Purple eyes. Short black hair. She'd be cute if not for that psychotic grin. Only the dragon wings sprouting from her back mark this as another of her dolls._

Jellal blinked. "Daphne?" he gasped.

"Ooo, you recognized me," Zalty – Daphne – grinned. "I didn't think anyone would without my hat or glasses." She flexed her wings, shaking them out. "It's been annoying watching you slip through my fingers so many times over the years. Yes, yes, you've been a real pain – but now you're mine!" Daphne reached for him, Jellal's eyes going wide.

The familiar rush of Meteor burst in, and "Mystogan" caught Daphne's arm before she could grab Jellal. "Don't," the cloaked figure insisted. Daphne pouted. "You gave your word."

"Don't be such a wet blanket, Sieg," Daphne sighed, and Jellal's jaw dropped. "One spell, and he'll be ours to command." She turned a cruel smile on the false Mystogan. "You want to crush the redhead, don't you?" The veiled man's eyes narrowed, and he hissed in fury.

"Siegrain?" Jellal whispered.

His cloaked doppelganger sighed and removed his mask. A perfect mirror image of Jellal stared back. "I am Siegrain," he explained, "but not the one you know. I'm Mystogan's brother. He's making a mistake, and I need you out of the way to rectify it."

Jellal stared for a long moment. _Please, let that be true..._ he prayed, but when Siegrain flinched and looked away, the Fairy Tail wizard let his head drop. "You're lying," Jellal whispered. "You hate Erza. You protected me. The way you're working with Daphne – you understand each other too well for a newcomer. I know you...brother."

"I'm sorry, Jellal," Siegrain sighed, grabbing the cloak and throwing it aside. Magic swirled around him, and Sieg's white suit replaced Mystogan's dark uniform. "There's so much you don't understand, that you couldn't accept if you did. None of it is your fault, but I can't let you interfere, and I won't let you risk your life trying."

Jellal shrugged, his bonds preventing him from doing more. "You concern is touching," he drawled.

Daphne raised one finger, and the back of Jellal's neck went cold. The captive mage's eyes widened again, and he broke into a cold sweat. "Behave," she replied, "or we'll make you." Jellal struggled, to no avail. _A slave crystal!_ She shook her head. "You're not going anywhere, Jelly baby. We already have Scarlet, her team should be dead by now, and my lacrima wards are keeping your annoying Voices out of our dimension. Very soon, the keys to the universe itself will be ours, yes, yes." Together, they turned and left the cell, the door closing behind them with a clang that sounded like judgement. _Gods, help me._


	52. Vol. 11, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, Tower of Heaven, X784: Erza

"Requip!" Erza chanted, her Flight Armor allowing her to pull Gray, Lucy, and Juvia away from Shou's capture cards – barely. The power that emanated from his deck was greater than she'd ever known from her little brother. "Shou, fight it!"

"Juvia doesn't understand," the water mage blurted, hands clasped as though in prayer. "Isn't card-wizard part of Fairy Tail?"

"M-Master Daphne has made us all strong," Shou cackled, choking on his own words as he twitched. "We're not in your shadow any longer, nee-san!" He summoned another five cards to hand. Erza gaped. _Daphne? Why?_

Then a wire-thin tendril of shadow struck at the back of Shou's neck. Simon appeared at the card mage's side, holding Shou as he thrashed and screamed. "It's okay, Shou. I've got you," Simon assured the younger wizard. Erza watched flakes of blood-red lacrima fly through the air, splintering as they flew from her adopted brother's back.

"Simon!" Lucy exulted, her smile almost as broad as one of Natsu's. "You escaped!"

Simon shook his head. "No. Jellal saved me. He managed to break my crystal before Siegrain ambushed him. I played along." Gently, he helped his friend sit. "Come on, Shou-kun, we need you."

"Siegrain?!" Gray blurted. "I knew he was a creep, but I never thought he was a monster!"

Shou groaned, holding his head. "Nee-san? Simon? What happened?"

"It's all right, Shou," Erza insisted, requipping back to her basic Heart Kreuz and striding over to offer Shou a hand. She helped both men to their feet. "Jellal rescued Simon, and he saved you."

"But – but they captured him! _We_ captured him!" Shou blurted. Erza went pale, Lucy gasped, and Gray snarled, making a fist. "Siegrain and Daphne, they made us fight Jellal, and when we had him cornered, Siegrain – he – !"

"The jerk was dressed as Mystogan," Simon shrugged. "Not sure why."

"What better disguise than a friend who conceals himself completely," Erza muttered. _That doesn't seem reason enough, though,_ she mused, her stomach at war with itself. "We need to split up. Millianna and Wally are likely still under Daphne's control, and we must rescue Jellal before she can overcome his defenses." She looked around. "Gray, Simon, you look for Wally. Lucy, Juvia, try to find Millianna. If I'm not mistaken, Happy will be with her, so either you'll find Natsu or he'll find you. Shou, you're with me. We'll rescue Jellal. Enchant one of your cards to remove the crystal from his neck, in case it's needed."

"Right!" her friends all agreed.

"Though Juvia wanted to go with Master Gray, not Love Rival..." Juvia muttered as they split up. Erza hid her smile beneath a curtain of scarlet as she rushed down a flight of stairs. _You're going to need that resolve to break through Gray's shell,_ she thought, following the sensation tingling in the back of her mind.

"Nee-san? Do you know where we're going?" Shou asked, though he didn't hesitate to keep up with her.

"Mm, mm," Erza insisted with a pair of nods. "I can sense Jellal, somehow. He's more or less unharmed, in the lowest depths of this...betrayal." She waved at the Tower around them with her free hand. "Is your deck still enhanced by Daphne's magic?"

Shou shook his head. "Sorry, Erza-nee. I guess it was something in the crystal." He flipped cards between his hands as they ran, not a single one slipping out of place. "That's okay, though. I'm a Fairy Tail wizard, just like my sister." He flashed her his carefree smile. "I'll be enough." Erza smiled back. _Shou. You've grown so much._ The corridor at the end of the stairs led to a large chamber with a long bridge over a pond. Cherry blossoms rained down around them. _It's in the style of Shou and Simon's homeland,_ Erza realized.

"No," a woman in a kimono replied, "You will not." Slowly, the pink-haired sentinel strode forward on enormous clogs, carrying a long sword almost like it was her child. "Greetings. I am Ikaruga."

"Stand aside, Ikaruga," Erza commanded, watching her foe with cool resolve. "I will reach Jellal. If you do not interfere, then I have no quarrel with you."

Ikaruga smirked back. "Do you really think so little of my resolve?" Her blade flashed out, Erza barely parrying in time. "Or my skill?" Erza gasped, then flinched as a cut blossomed on her left arm. Her Heart Kreuz armor shattered, leaving both Titania and Shou gaping in disbelief. "Do-you-now-gaze-on...a-ter-ri-ble phan-ta-sm...from-bey-ond-the-void?"

Shou drew two hands, preparing to throw. "More like a cheap carnival act," he snarled, letting his cards fly. They multiplied tenfold as they sliced at the mercenary. Ikaruga parried them all with insulting ease, slicing them all _edgewise._ Then Shou smiled as the card halves all exploded. "Impressive trick," he continued, their foe obscured by the blast, "but I expected you to attack my cards. Whichever way you cut them, all you accomplished was to double the force of my attack."

The explosive cloud dispersed from a sudden gust. Ikaruga stood there, unharmed, having half-sheathed her sword. "You're more than you seem, blond toy," she replied, "but double your power is not half of enough to face me." Shou gaped again, blinking.

"Shou, slide past her," Erza ordered, requipping into Heaven's Wheel. "Ikaruga. I am your opponent." Again, the swordswoman smirked, sliding into an aggressive stance. "Now!" Shou dumped half his deck over the side of the bridge, the cards spilling out and flying past Ikaruga in a spiral. Erza flew upward, summoning the full might of her Circle Sword.

Ikaruga sliced through Shou's card spiral and Titania's entire Circle Sword arsenal, Erza herself barely evading the sword mage's counterattack. "Resorting to such cheap tricks?" Ikaruga sneered, taking in Erza's side of the bridge with a sweeping wave of her hand. "It appears to have cost your little friend his life."

Erza didn't allow her eyes to leave Ikaruga's. That made it an effort to watch Shou appear on the opposite side of the bridge, emerging from the card he'd sent beneath the water. Shou flashed her a smile and a Fairy Tail salute, then silently darted off on a platform of cards. "Don't underestimate a Fairy Tail wizard," Erza warned, eyes narrowing.

"Oh? You were quick enough to evade my strike, even with all your armor," Ikaruga noted, sliding into a new stance Erza didn't recognize. "The great Titania is no match for me. You already know it. Karuda-en!" she chanted, and a burst of world-slicing flame roared toward the requip mage. _Where's Natsu when I need him?_ Erza wondered, smiling in spite of herself as she requipped into her Flame Empress armor. She parried the blazing spiral and the cutting magic that followed it. Then her body shuddered from multiple blows as her armor and sword both shattered. "You see?"

Erza looked up again. Shou was gone. "Requip!" she cried, and the remnants of her Flame Empress armor vanished, replaced by her sarashi, hakama, and Crimson Sakura blades. "So. You can damage my armor." Her smile matched Ikaruga's, cold and mirthless. "Then there is little point in wearing any." Ikaruga raised an eyebrow at the Erza, sliding into a neutral ready stance. The assassin poured magical power into her blade, reinforcing it. Erza followed suit with her twin swords. "My armor is for my friends. For you, all I need are my blades."

The world itself rippled as if struck. Both warriors glanced up, but Erza couldn't sense the source of the blow, and based on her uncertainty, neither could Ikaruga. The two faced each other once more, and the sword mage's smile returned. "Prove it, Titania." They raced at each other, Ikaruga's single sword locking with Erza's two. Both swords thrummed with the force of the blows, their wielders' magic clashing with enough power to shatter the pillars and stones around them.

Pain shot up Erza's shoulder, and she was forced back, gritting her teeth as blood trickled pas her ribs. Ikaruga laughed again. "Doubt-coils-deep-with-in, steal-ing-a-war-ri-or's-might, know-ing-you-lack-worth." She shook her head. "When Master Siegrain said that your courage was counterfeit, I thought he was deluded, but clearly there was some truth in it." Erza hissed at her foe, sliding back as Ikaruga stalked towards her. "It's not that you're afraid without your Jellal. It's that you're _weak_ without him. Of course your armor is no match for my sword." She shifted into a thrusting stance, preparing to charge. Erza's eyes widened. "Farewell, Titania." Ikaruga came at her in a blur, Fairy Tail's knight raising her weapon in a desperate effort to parry –

– until memories flooded through her, the voices of her friends, the faith of her _family –_

_"No one's as strong as Erza, except Gildarts and the Master!" Natsu roared._

_"You're the bravest person I've ever known," Lucy insisted._

_Jellal smiled. "You are Titania, the Fairy Queen."_

**Music Cue: Erza's Theme**

"REQUIP!" Erza roared. Her magic swirled around her with a power that wouldn't be denied. Ikaruga's blade stopped cold against the breastplate of her Purgatory Armor, not leaving so much as a scratch. The knight hefted Perdition, her massive blade, and thrust it overhead.

"Im-impossible!" Ikaruga stammered, backpedaling. "I can slice anything! The inside of a diamond without scratching the surface! The very fabric of space! _I have cut magic itself!"_ Erza couldn't help feel a fierce satisfaction in the killer's widening eyes and trembling jaw. "How can you stop Mugetsu-Ryu – with _armor?"_

"I," Erza replied, the very essence of calm, "am a Fairy Tail wizard. Perdition Roar: Armageddon!" Ikaruga darted aside, bringing her sword up to parry even as she dodged, but Erza's blow filled the chamber. Mugetsu-Ryu shattered, and Ikaruga slammed into a wall, then slumped to the floor. "Still, you were formidable," Titania admitted to her unconscious foe, requipping back into her Flight Armor and rushing to catch up with Shou.

Her little brother turned from a wall of steel bars to gape at Erza as she approached, appearing untouched. "Nee-san?" he blurted, a few cards falling from his fingers to orbit his wrist. "I'm sorry, I couldn't get through the..." he beckoned the cards, and they returned to his hand. "I was worried."

Erza smiled. "I understand. Fortunately, I remembered the most important rule when leaving the guild." Shou's eyes bulged, and she chuckled. "I'll always be a Fairy Tail wizard, ototo. But I had become accustomed to thinking of my life as insignificant. Worse, I thought it was possible for me to be alone."

Shou blinked. "I don't get it."

Titania ruffled Shou's hair, then readied Perdition. "I'll explain later. Step back." Shou obeyed, and she destroyed the security gate with a single blow. "Come. Jellal must be close." She strode past the shattered chunks of iron, Shou rushing to keep up.

As she predicted, Jellal was in the first cell they found. Shou gasped, while Erza forced herself not to. It wasn't the Capture Tubes, the Sealing Stone collar, or the bandages wrapped around him from shoulders to ankles. There were several places where the bandages were stained crimson. _Gods!_ Erza thought, smashing the bars of his cell like twigs. "Jellal!" She requipped back into her basic blouse and skirt, her Heart Kreuz armor still in pieces, and rushed to his side.

"Er...za...trap..." Jellal hissed through clenched teeth. When Erza drew her swords, he shook his head with twitching desperation. To no one's surprise, Erza ignored him, freeing Jellal with four swipes of her blades. "...no..."

"Jellal." Erza sheathed her swords and caught him before he could collapse. "I've got you."

Shou summoned the card Erza'd asked him to prepare, commanding it to fly behind Jellal. It quivered there, its spacial magic pulsing hungrily. "Erza, the crystal's in his neck, but my card's not pulling it ou–"

All at once, Jellal _moved._ His fist landed in Shou's stomach, the boy crumpling like a house of his own cards. Then he turned on Erza, hand outstretched, his namesake Starburst firing a dozen golden bolts at her. The weird reality-pounding thing from her fight with Ikaruga returned, redoubled. "Requip," Titania breathed, her Flight Armor allowing her to dodge – barely. His speed was phenomenal, even without magic. "Fight it, Jellal."

"Try...ing..." Tears welled in Jellal's eyes, but his body erupted in the familiar aura of Meteor. His fists lashed out awkwardly, with hesitant spasms showing Jellal's resistance, but he still struck Erza three times before she managed to retreat back to Ikaruga's bridge room. Every blow was like a sledgehammer shot from a cannon. _And I should know. Chronos spit on Dark Unicorn and their insane weapons._ The world itself hummed as some force from beyond struck at the Tower's wards, but there was no other reaction. _I see. The Voices can help no more. Very well – up to me, then. I will manage. I must._

She darted away, constantly moving and feinting to get behind him. Nothing worked. _I can be fast, or strong, or tough, or piercing, to nearly any degree I wish,_ Erza thought, taking two more blows and barely dodging two dozen, _but Jellal is all those things at once. I can surpass him in any one area except speed, but he'll exceed me in every attribute I do not master. Right now, that's more than enough._ She landed on the remains of the bridge, watching in awe as Jellal froze in mid-air, his entire body quivering. _That crystal. It's in his body. His mind. His_ soul. _And somehow, he's resisting._

Erza's face set into stony, furious resolve. _Jellal has saved me so many times in so many ways, and none of my efforts to protect him have ever been enough. This time, I will not fail. I refuse!_ All at once, inspiration struck. "Requip!" she chanted. Flight Armor vanished, replaced by her Adamantine Armor. Jellal's body raced at her, his eyes bulging in horror. "Trust me, Jellal!"

_Always._ His single thought echoed through her mind, and Erza braced herself. Meteor threw Jellal into her with a force that reminded her of her battle with Porla. _You are my miracle,_ she decided, remembering how that battle ended. Though the force of his assault pushed her back into the wall, she did not relent. Instead, once his body was still from the effort of driving into her, Erza locked him in a fierce embrace.

The twin halves of her Adamantine Shield slammed together, holding Jellal in place. "I've got you, Jellal. And I'm never letting go again." Tears ran down his cheeks as his captors forced him to strike at her with all the force he could muster. _Of course he knows the One Inch Punch,_ Erza sighed, hands reaching along his back, up to the base of his neck. Even through her gauntlets, she could feel every straining muscle, knew every inch of skin – so when her fingertips brushed against the small, knife-sharp _wrongness_ at the base of his neck, Erza knew what to do.

It was no ordinary household crystal. The lacrima was tougher than she'd imagined. _It doesn't matter. This_ thing _is the last chain holding Jellal captive. I will not tolerate its existence a moment longer!_ She squeezed the foul device while Jellal was forced to pound at her.

At last, the lacrima shattered, disintegrating between her fingers. Jellal thrashed, then screamed, the welling tears pouring free as he threw back his head and howled. "Requip," Erza chanted, switching back to her regular clothing and holding her love as he collapsed. "Jellal! Speak to me!"

"I...hurt you..." Jellal went limp in her arms, shuddering as he wept. "I swore...I would _never..."_

"You did not," she insisted, her hatred for Zalty or Daphne or _whatever_ the Grim the woman was aflame in her heart. "That was your captors. It was no more your fault than your bruises were when that tentacle wizard threw me at you. Remember?" She pulled his face around to meet his eyes. "I wanted you to punish me, but you said–"

"–'nature is stronger than any mage,'" Jellal conceded, "I remember." He nodded, and she helped her love steady himself. "I'm sorry, Erza. That was just...every nightmare I've ever had, all at once. I'll manage."

"Good." She let him go, only to gasp when he nearly fell. "Jellal!"

"Urh." The star mage wobbled, keeping upright with notable effort. "Apparently, stealing my free will wasn't enough. The Tower drained my magic the moment you broke my life-bond."

Erza frowned. "Life-bond?"

"It's Zal-um, Daphne's latest trick," Jellal sighed, surrendering with rare obedience to Erza slipping his arm over her shoulders. "She developed a variant of Body Link Magic. It's why the others sound so creepy when she controls them. She's learned to override personalities, not just motor control. I'll come up with a counter once we're home."

Erza smiled at him. "It obviously wasn't working on you."

"Stronger emotions are harder to overcome, but she was still able to force me to use my own skills against you," Jellal hissed. He looked down at his knuckles, his blood mixed with hers on them. "I'm going to have a hard time forgiving myself." He shuddered, baring his teeth. "I'm not even going to bother trying to forgive _her."_

Every alarm Erza had rang as one. "Jellal, you're the one who always says that nothing is unforgivable," she insisted. "Inexcusable, perhaps, but never unforgivable." _Please, Jellal. Don't give up now._

Jellal turned away, eyes squeezed shut. "I'm sorry, Erza. It's...it's too much. So many years, so many deaths – too much pain. I can't, I just – _can't._ Not now." He held the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. "Can we discuss this later? I need to concentrate to scrape together the energy to heal you."

_Keep him focused,_ Erza decided. "Later. For now, Shou first." Jellal gasped, tried to use Meteor, stumbled when he failed, then ran back towards the cells. Erza easily kept pace, guarding Jellal's back as he swallowed gulps of air. After nearly a minute of this, her Starburst held his hands over Shou's abdomen, hands glowing teal.

Shou coughed and came to. Erza and Jellal both offered him hands. After a brief effort to manage without, he accepted both. "Ow. You hit _hard,_ nii-san." He grinned and rubbed his belly. "Thanks for the healing, though. Why does it still hurt?"

"Siegrain and Daphne drained his magical power," Erza explained. Shou gasped, then scowled, remaining cards flying around his hands again. "It seems more complicated than usual."

"What's 'usual,' nee-san?" Shou asked, grinning. "Let's go kick them in the teeth."

"You've been hanging around Natsu too long," Jellal sighed. "Do you have enough power left to carry me in a card?" Shou's grin vanished, eyes widening, and he nodded. "Good. Do it. I'm not much physical use right now, but I can still analyze."

Erza watched, trying not to worry, as Shou obeyed. Fury replaced horror in an instant. _You will pay for this, Siegrain!_


	53. Vol. 11, Ch. 4

Earthland-2, Tower of Heaven, X784: Natsu

Simon's Darkness Magic swirled away, revealing a gloomy, circular room with freaky runes. In the center was a massive lacrima, while Siegrain lounged in a creepy throne and the latest Zalty model stood beside him. Erza and Shou rushed in a moment later. "Siegrain!" Erza roared. _Wow. She sounds kinda like a dragon herself,_ Natsu thought. "This is the end!"

"Is it?" Siegrain chuckled and waved his hand over a creepy chess board thing. Two magic circles appeared over it, a weird magic _square_ forming between them. "This is Etherion," he explained, gesturing at the symbols. "As far as the council knows, the infamous Fairy Tail has taken over my Tower of Seals, and you're using it to revive Zeref." His mad grin widened. "You fiends," he quipped, wagging a finger at them. "Etherion will strike the Tower in seven minutes." All four Fairy Tail wizards gasped. "The end won't be what you think it is, Scarlet."

"Quick, let me out!" Jellal called from Shou's deck. Simon gaped. Siegrain's smile vanished.

"What were you doing hiding in Shou's card, anyway?" Natsu grumbled. Then he grinned. "Never mind. This way, you can't hog all the fighting with Meteor. I'm all fired up!" He pounded his fists together while Shou released Jellal.

"The famous Salamander," Zalty drawled, rubbing her hands. "Yes, yes, I'm keeping him."

"Not _now,_ Daphne," Siegrain hissed. Natsu's jaw dropped, but no one else reacted. _Wait, everyone else knew?_ Natsu wondered, but that concern vanished when Sieg rose from his stupid throne. "Jellal, you need to leave," Siegrain insisted, one fist trembling. "You don't have any magic left."

"Go to Grim," Jellal snarled, _"brother."_ He swallowed enormous gulps of air, but Natsu could sense that he wasn't getting much energy from the effort. "I swear, neither of you is going to enslave anyone ever again, even if I have to tear myself apart for the power!"

"Jellal," Erza whispered. Natsu could hear the terror in her voice, and he paled. _Erza's not supposed to be afraid,_ he thought.

Siegrain glared at the five wizards. "Six minutes. Fight or run." His smile, sharp and broken, returned. "Not that it matters."

Something in Natsu snapped, and the rage lit Igneel's fire inside him. Wild power roared through his body, and he launched himself at the disgusting mirror image of his guild mate and mentor. _"He's your brother, you jerk!"_

Daphne-Zalty-whoever leaped between Natsu and Siegrain. _Doesn't matter. Siegrain ought to be Erza's anyway._ He turned his most ferocious smile on the Zalty puppet – _I'm calling you Zaltoo,_ he decided – and smashed her face with his fist. Her nose snapped, turning into a flat gooey mess on her face. The goo was a weird blue-white stuff instead of blood, but it hardly mattered. _That felt good._

Her nose popped back into place, and she smiled back, taking in a deep breath. _Fake Dragon Roar? Let's see how you do against the real thing!_ Natsu leaped back. "Fire Dragon – ROAR!" he shouted, bringing up his hands and doing his thing. Zaltoo unleashed a beam of blue-tinged white light. The twin roars exploded against one another. Zaltoo's beam won, and the explosion threw Natsu back several feet. _Nuts. That wasn't supposed to happen._ A quick glance over his shoulder told Natsu that Shou and Simon were protecting Jellal; the prodigy was drawing a magic circle on the floor with a burnt piece of stick.

_They took his chalk?_ Natsu's outrage burned hotter at that for some reason. _Of course they did. Jellal's scary with chalk._ It didn't matter – his rage would not be denied. A quick check-in with Erza showed her holding her own against Siegrain, so he gave Zaltoo his undivided attention. "Burning Iron Fist!" he chanted, flying at the puppet with all his might. She half-dodged, his blow glancing off her shoulder, but that was enough to send his enemy sprawling.

The battle continued like this for several minutes. Natsu knew this, because that creep Siegrain had to announce it every time Etherion got closer to firing. "Five minutes to Etherion." Dodge, punch, blast. "Four minutes to Etherion." Kick, elbow, block. "Three minutes to Etherion," he mocked. Natsu ground his teeth at the two minute mark. _Man, I want to knock his teeth in,_ he thought, but Erza was pushing Siegrain back, and Zaltoo was still fighting.

"Simon, get Shou and Jellal out of here!" Erza cried a second later.

"No," Jellal insisted. "We're safe. We have to be. Daphne may not be here, but that's Siegrain's real body. His soul's in it." The star mage frowned. "And he's a coward." Siegrain turned to look at Jellal, eyes bugging out like Gray's when he loses his clothes, and Erza smacked him in the chest with Perdition. Natsu couldn't help chuckling a bit while he tried to axe-kick Zaltoo in the wing.

"Etherion won't kill us," Siegrain admitted, grunting as he fell back, "but if you knew why, you would run anyway. One minute to my ultimate victory!"

Light poured down over them. The air started to taste different, reminding Natsu of the faint tang of a thunderstorm. It was lighter and smoother, like the difference between milk chocolate and dark, but it also burned a little more, like hot candy. _Man, this stuff is making me hungry,_ he mused. That's when the light crystal turned on over Natus's head. "Is that your best dragon roar, Zaltoo? I've met scarier torches!"

"An obvious ploy," Zaltoo smirked, "but I'll indulge you. I win either way!" She breathed in, and Natsu braced himself.

"Jellal, get out of here!" Erza cried, an overhand smash missing Siegrain by a full inch.

Jellal drew faster. "I'm not leaving you! Simon can take Shou if–"

Natsu lost the rest in the explosion of Zaltoo's roar. He opened his mouth and swallowed the explosive beam. Weird lights popped up around Zaltoo's eyes, but Natsu didn't have time to figure out what they were, because eating Wally's block-bullet had nothing on _this._ He howled and ran around the throne room, waving at his mouth and trying to curse out Zaltoo. Nothing coherent came out, though, because his tongue was numb.

Erza and Siegrain stopped fighting in mid-swing, both of them gaping at Natsu as he flailed. Simon slapped his forehead while Shou sweat-dropped. Jellal finished his magic circle, shouted something, then looked up, eyes bulging at the scene. Then Simon's magic lashed out and grabbed the other two boys, and light consumed the world an instant later.

With everyone blinded, Natsu had a moment to digest. _Once the sting goes away, it's actually pretty tasty,_ he decided. _Kinda like getting shot with a cinnamon roll._ Power surged through him, though rather than the usual blaze beneath his skin, it was like someone had rolled a thunderstorm into a wire-thin surge of liquid ethernano and injected it into his veins.

His sight came back first, though Siegrain had shielded his eyes. The room with all the creepy stonework had been replaced by more lacrima than Natsu had ever seen in his life. It was suffused with so much power Natsu could smell it, like the mix of ozone and wet grass after a Laxus-sized storm. "Fools, all of you," Siegrain chuckled. "The Cult of Zeref thought to use all that power to resurrect a man who still lives." Natsu blinked while Erza gasped. "The Council fired its ultimate weapon right next to a major city, out of fear that the man who isn't dead will be brought back to life." Jellal's double leered at Erza. "And you. Coming here to save your boyfriend from a man who'd do anything to protect him. Technically, I don't _need_ a sacrifice to use my S-System, but it does have its advantages – and I've waited eight long years to be rid of you!"

"Who's not dead?" Natsu asked. Everyone's sight had clearly been restored, because they all turned and looked at him with wide eyes. "Besides us, I mean."

"Zeref," Erza whispered, and suddenly the "not-dead-guy" thing wasn't so funny any more. "He's saying that the Dark Wizard Zeref is still alive. All those years of misery, for nothing?"

"Yes, yes," Zaltoo replied, shrugging. "That's what happens when a bunch of mostly magic-less morons worship the greatest wizard who ever lived."

Siegrain laughed, his smile crooked and sharp. "Wait until you find out where he _is."_ He stopped laughing all at once, Meteor exploding around him. His Wizard Saint coat exploded away and disintegrated, revealing a tight, reinforced battle suit. "Oops. My mistake." He glared at Erza. "You won't live long enough to learn." Siegrain turned into a _blur,_ too fast for even Natsu's senses to track, and he pummeled Erza with such speed and power that she screamed and flailed in the air in spite of her Purgatory Armor.

"Oh," Zaltoo added, "did we mention, Jellal's stolen energy was powering a Thought Projection in Era?" She flared her wings out again, eyeing Natsu and licking her lips. "A Thought Projection we no longer need. Yes, yes, yes, yes! Siegrain gets Titania, Salamander, but you are all mine!" She flew at Natsu, the Dragon Slayer barely able to fend off a vicious barrage of claw slashes. _The Grim? Is she chowing down on Jellal's magic too?_ A quick sniff corrected him. _Aw, crap – she got some power from the lacrima blast thing._ She laughed again. "My victory will mean the rebirth of dragon-kind! Yes! Yes!"

With a gentle pop, Simon, Jellal, and Shou returned. Jellal slapped his magic circle – _wait, how is that thing even still there?_ Natsu wondered – and a massive jet of fire erupted from it.

And _what_ a fire! The blinding golden flame smelled like deep-roasted steak soaked in desert pepper sauce. Just a whiff of the stuff had Natsu salivating. "Thought so," the Starburst muttered. "Natsu! Show them what a Fairy Tail Dragon Slayer can do!"

Simon and Shou hammered Zaltoo while Natsu dove at the tremendous flame, shoving it into his mouth with both hands. Every bite made him feel more powerful, more _alive,_ than anything he'd ever known. Muscles bulged. Scales formed along his skin. Nails became deadly claws. An explosion of raw dragon fire burst to life around him, the Dragon Slayer unable to hold it in. The remaining flames of Jellal's spell merged with the aura and Zaltoo's fake Dragon Roar. Igneel himself seemed to echo around Natsu like a memory brought to life. "Okay, Jellal, job's done," Simon insisted. "You need to leave until your magic's back."

Jellal's jaw twitched. "Please, Jellal," Erza whispered. The star mage sighed and nodded, and Simon wrapped Jellal's form in fluid shadows. When the darkness receded, Jellal was gone. "Natsu," Titania called. "We need to switch opponents."

"What?" Natsu blurted, stopping in mid-punch while Zaltoo braced herself. "I can take this robot-zombie-thing!"

Erza blocked another barrage of Siegrain's magic, this one the same creepy shadows-and-blood-runes that Zalty used when she was being extra creepy. "That's not it. I hate Siegrain, but...he's still Jellal's brother."

_Oh. Crap._ Natsu concentrated, and the world slowed down. Siegrain was still ridiculously fast, but at least he wasn't a blur any more. Everyone else was moving in super-slo-mo, like when Romeo would play with movie settings. _I bet Erza could take him, even with all that magic Siggy stole, but the jerk has Jellal's face. I don't get much about romantic stuff, but it's gotta be extra hard beating on your boyfriend's twin._ His grin returned. _Me? I've wanted to plant my fist in that face for seven years._

Time resumed something resembling its normal course, Natsu launching himself at Siegrain in an explosion of power a lot like Fukuro's rocket pack. "Hey, Siggy!" Siegrain turned in perfect synch with Salamander's leap for his face to fly right into the Dragon Slayer's punch. "I'm all fired up!"

"Come back here – AAAH!" Zaltoo screamed as Erza ripped a wing off of her with Perdition.

"I am your opponent," Erza hissed.

"You idiots!" Siegrain barked, trading high-speed punches with Natsu. _Yeah, try and out-pummel me, you – ow, ow, ow!_ The Salamander reeled as Siegrain's speed overwhelmed even this new dragon force. _Ooo, Dragon Force, I like that,_ he thought, even through the pummeling. "We've already won! I've already transmitted more than a billion Edeas to my allies, the Council has collapsed, the Satellite Square is in ruins, and we have all the Zeref Keys! Your only hope is to flee, yet still you fight?"

Natsu directed his newfound power into his aura. Siegrain flew back, flames trailing from his fancy armor. "If you're so sure you're gonna win," Dragneel snarled, breath crackling like flames, "why are you trying to convince us to run?"

Siegrain glared at him, and Natsu couldn't help grinning back. "Fine. I admit it. For once, you're right." He made that weird gesture Jellal used sometimes, hands meeting in front of him, two fingers up, five down – _oh crap, that's –_ "Be judged by the Seven Stars! GRAND CHARIOT!" Natsu raced at the Wizard Saint, but the spell came down too fast. _"Die."_

_I'm pretty sure that if I wasn't so dragon-y right now, I_ would _be dead,_ Natsu decided, his only movement twitching in a lacrima crater. _Everything hurts._ Siegrain walked to the crater's edge, glaring down his nose at the Slayer. "You would have been no match for me even without Jellal's power. With it? You weren't even _work."_ He casually blocked another barrage from Simon and Shou, not even looking at them as he turned toward Erza. Titania, of course, had already smashed Zaltoo into robot zombie paste. "At last. I hope Daphne's dragon-catcher didn't cost you too much power, Scarlet. I want to savor thi–"

Natsu shot up and punched the creep in the gut. He followed up with a Fire Dragon Roar, sending the Councilor sprawling across the crystal floor. "Oi! We're not done yet, Siggy." Natsu smiled again, ignoring the bruised mass that made up his flesh.

Crouched on the smooth lacrima, Siegrain stared in furious, shuddering disbelief at the grinning Dragon Slayer. "I felt that." He clawed at the air, a sphere of dark power forming above his palm. Natsu stumbled, an all-too-familiar nausea pooling in his gut. _Motion sickness? Zen, it's even worse than that – I can feel the anger in his spell...no, the_ hate _...it's screeching, a charnel stench, crawling over my skin, down my throat, like a spider army –_ All at once, Siegrain stood, hands crossed over his head. Natsu dropped to his knees. "I. Said. Die. ALTAIRIS!"

Unable to move, much less fight, Natsu could only stare with sick fury at the massive, hungry sphere as it flew at him. Then Erza was in front of him, Perdition held up like a shield, and Natsu couldn't even scream.

The explosion threw lacrima all around them, table-sized shards of the crystal consumed by the spell and vanishing, while even larger pieces flew into the columns, or past them to fall to the sea. "Erza," Natsu gasped, but she was hardly even bruised, standing before him with Perdition slack in her hand. _Duh. Should've known she'd be okay._ The crawling horror having vanished, Natsu stood and walked towards Erza.

He froze when he saw past Erza, Simon standing in front of her. He, too, looked more or less unharmed, but he was gasping, and Natsu smelled tears – and then he saw in front of Simon, where most of Shou was falling over, ruined cards raining down around the broken blond.

The universe cracked above the wounded card mage. No crystal hung there, but the break looked like a crack in a mirror, jagged and random. Blood dripped from it. _It smells like...Jellal?_ Natsu shook his head, putting the scent aside. _That's who we need._ Natsu stood between his friends and Siegrain, arms held out in a ready stance for claw strikes, his entire body sheathed in flame. "Simon. Jellal. Now," Natsu demanded.

Simon vanished. "Shou, hang on," Erza pleaded. The shadow mage reappeared with Jellal an instant later. Jellal cried out and rushed to Shou's side, but Natsu lost whatever the Starburst said when Siegrain laughed.

"Not the Tower leech I wanted to eliminate first," the Wizard Saint mocked, "but you have to start somewhere." More sickening darkness flowed toward his palm. "No matter. Even without Jellal's power, killing my way to Erza is–"

Natsu punctuated the murderer's sentence with a fist to his face. The Dragon Slayer knew he wanted to tell Siegrain _something,_ but nothing formed except rage and screaming and suddenly he was faster than anything in Fiore. Siegrain darted away and fired a Starburst at Natsu, but he just flew right through it and slammed into his target's chest with Sword Horn.

All at once, Natsu remembered what he wanted to say. His fists turned into a blur of Crimson Lotus magic, pounding on Siegrain like a typhoon of flame. "Wally! Millianna! Simon! Gray! Lucy! Happy! Jellal! Erza!" Memories stabbed at Natsu's heart...

_Natsu and Shou dangled from Erza's hands, each of them covered in bruises and gripped by their collars. While Erza lectured them, Shou smiled at Natsu. The young Dragon Slayer grinned back._ That was a great fight, _Natsu decided..._

_...Shou scattered his cards across the table. "I'm sorry, Natsu. I'm no good at divination. You should've asked Cana."_

_"I did," Natsu replied, shrugging. "She couldn't find Igneel either. Did you get anything?"_

_"It came out as 'look inside yourself.' I don't think that could've been more cliché if I wanted," Shou admitted. "I suck at this."_

_"Hey, you tried," Natsu encouraged, earning a squawk from the blond when he pulled Shou into a one-armed hug. "Thanks!"_

_Shou's grin returned. "What are friends for?"..._

_...Shou leaped over a whirling staff made of Wave Magic. "Gods, nii-san's really putting us through the wringer this time, huh, Natsu?"_

_With a blazing wing blast, Natsu smashed a magic sphere into Ethernano. "It's no fun if it's easy! I'm all fired up!"_

_"'Fired u–' that's it, you never get to make fun of Wally saying 'dandy' again!" Shou retorted, releasing a blast of metal shot pellets from one card. The flying staff disintegrated._

_"What's that supposed to mean?" Natsu barked, turning on Shou. The card mage spun to face Natsu, deck swirling around him. Unfortunately, that meant both of them were ignoring Jellal's obstacle course._

_Jellal, of course, wasn't ignoring_ them. _Giant hands slammed the boys into each other, then punched them out of the training circle. A large red X appeared over each of their heads. Natsu and Shou looked at each other and laughed..._

Natsu's uppercut threw Siegrain high over the Tower. _"SHOU!"_ the Dragon Slayer screamed, rocketing over the Wizard Saint and smashing him back into the crystal floor. Cracks formed through the entire top level, the lacrima humming in an irregular cadence. Natsu dropped back to his friends' side, eye flickering to where Jellal was drawing a magic circle on Shou's chest.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Natsu whispered. Erza nodded, hands over her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks. Simon was in even worse shape, kneeling with his fists on the floor, crying uncontrollably. Shou's cards were scattered and torn.

"Forgive me, Shou," Jellal sobbed, "but I need your help one last time. If we don't control the blast, it'll take Akane with–"

"It's okay, nii-san." All four Fairy Tail wizards looked around in amazement at the dozens of images of Shou's face, each smiling from one of the lacrima facets. The crystal tower had begun to glow and shake. "It's beautiful. I wish you could all see it. I guess you will, one day, but for now, you have to live." All the faces turned to Erza, smile growing. "I understand now. 'Always live your life to the fullest. Never think of yourself as insignificant. And never forget your friends, who love you.' Thank you, nee-san." Shou turned to the big shadow mage. "Simon, you have to go. It's time." Jellal finished his circle, and Shou's faces faded as his body sank into the tower. Siegrain's prone form vanished in a burst of white light almost identical to Daphne's dragon roar.

"Goodbye, Shou. Thank you," Simon breathed, and darkness enveloped them all.


	54. Vol. 11, Ch. 5

Earthland-2, Akane Beach, X784: Jellal

Jellal screamed at the heavens. There was no choice in the matter, no control, no patience or calm or serenity. A lifetime of training disintegrated in an endless instant of grief. After several seconds, he ran out of breath and collapsed, still weeping. _I was supposed to protect him,_ he wept, fist pounding helplessly on the beach. _I'm their big brother – the one they trust – I was supposed to_ protect _them, and I couldn't even move!_

Warm, strong arms wrapped around him, and he didn't need sight to know it was Erza. She didn't say anything. She didn't have to. He sat up enough to hug her in kind, and they just held on and let the grief come.

They weren't the only ones crying, of course. Jellal was pretty certain that everyone was. _They need me,_ he decided, and with a shuddering breath, forced himself to his feet. "We need to go," he breathed. "Siegrain said he framed us for this. The Magic Council goes after any excuse to undermine Fairy Tail, and this is a lot more than an excuse."

"But we're the ones who stopped them, nii-san," Millianna whispered, hands clenched together. Her knuckles were stark white.

"How do we prove it, Milli?" Jellal concentrated, seeking Ultear's mind. "We have to leave. _Now."_ Before his telepathy could reach beyond Akane, though, the sound of boots marching in time brought his efforts to a halt.

_Oh, for..._ Even his grief couldn't erase the frustration Jellal felt about the approaching Rune Knights. His friends reacted while the Starburst was still adjusting to the new situation. Gray slammed his fist into his palm, frost emanating from both hands. Natsu's fists burst into flames. Erza requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, swords swirling around her. Wally transformed his arm into his Polygon Rifle. Simon and Millianna didn't manifest their magic directly, but shadows bubbled up from around Simon's feet and Milli had her claws out. Lucy gasped. "Guys? We're not going to fight the Rune Knights, are we?!"

_Ah, sanity. I remember that. I think._ Jellal strode forward, placing himself between his family and the approaching Knights. _Maybe I can defuse this before–_

"Jellal Fernandes," the group's leader stated, stopping before him. His soldiers formed familiar magic runes around the entire group. "I am Lieutenant Lahar of the Rune Knights' 4th Custody Enforcement Unit. You are under arrest for impersonating a member of the Magic Council, conspiracy to commit treason, terrorism, and attempted mass murder." He adjusted his glasses, which glinted in the moonlight.

Jellal blinked. His comrades gaped, eyes bulging and jaws dropping. _"What?!"_ they blurted in one voice.

"You incompetent idiots!" Simon barked, Darkness Magic roiling around him. "Jellal's the only reason Akane's still here!"

"You're not taking him anywhere!" Natsu roared, flames blazing to the heavens. Erza said nothing, but dozens more swords formed around her. Cold rolled off Gray in waves, frigid enough to feel even past Natsu's flame.

Jellal spread out his arms. "Stop!" he cried. "I apologize for the fuss we've cause. I will take full responsibility." He grimaced at Erza's gasp. "However, you must be aware of at least the possibility that Siegrain was the traitor."

"They are," Siegrain whispered, stepping out from the crowd of Rune Knights. He was wearing magic-sealing handcuffs, which he held up for them to see. Jellal's eyes widened, then narrowed. Meteor force burst to life around his fists. At least two dozen Rune Knights leveled their staves at him in response. "It wasn't me, Jellal."

"Don't _lie_ to me, Siegrain!" Jellal howled. "I saw you. It was your life energy in there, you who stole my magic – _you're_ the one who killed–"

"Enough," Lahar ordered. "You will both be detained while the Magic Council is reformed." Jellal gasped. _The Magic Council's – gone? How?_ He turned to the Lieutenant, who's gaze never wavered. "Once the system is restored, you will both be tried in a court of justice."

"By what authority?" Erza whispered. Jellal whirled around to find Erza standing beside him, just a step behind. As long as they'd known one another, he'd never seen her wield so many swords at once – at least a hundred floated in the air above them, with more appearing every second. "If there is no Magic Council, you have no right or power to arrest Jellal, who is the only reason you survived that blast!" She held up a hand, and a single sword flew to it. Lahar reacted at last, swallowing quietly. More Rune Knights aimed their staves at the Fairy Tail wizards.

"No!" Jellal dashed to Erza, grabbing her shoulders. "Erza, no. You _can't."_

Tears formed in her eyes, gleaming violet in the moonlight. "They're going to lock you away. Now, when you've just been freed," she rasped, sword arm quivering.

Jellal smiled for her. "You set me free eight years ago." His smile vanished. "Erza, if we fight them now, one of two things will happen. If the monarchs support the Rune Knights, Fairy Tail will be declared a Dark Guild, and everyone we love will spend the rest of their lives hunted or imprisoned."

"They won't," Erza insisted. "The law – all the _good_ you've done –"

"If they side with us, the Rune Knights will be disbanded along with the Council, and justice will _die,"_ he rasped. "The only law will be power. A hundred Phantom Lords will rise from their fall. That can't happen. I have to do this, Erza. For Ishgar. For Fairy Tail. For us."

For several seconds, Erza was silent. All their friends gathered kingdom-shattering magic, ready to charge on her command. With a trembling breath, she lowered her arm, swords vanishing. In an instant, she was in her white blouse and blue skirt, taking his head in her hands, kissing him with fierce abandon. _Gods! That alone might be worth it,_ Jellal mused, mind otherwise wrapped in fog. At last, she released him. "Come back to me," she commanded.

Jellal smiled again. "I'm innocent. I'll be home as soon as the Legal Guilds can agree to a new set of Councilors." He glanced at the Dragon Slayer. "Natsu. Behave while I'm gone." The rose-haired warrior spluttered in helpless outrage. "And...thanks." He turned a glare at Siegrain. "I'd check the former Councilor for bruises around the jaw, ribs, and abdomen, by the way."

"We're still brothers, Jellal," Siegrain whispered.

_"Shou_ was my brother," Jellal snapped, flinching as Lahar cuffed him. "I don't know who you are." He didn't dare look back as the Rune Knights dragged him off. _I have to be strong. For Fairy Tail._


	55. Vol. 12, Ch. 1

**Volume Twelve: Festival Captivity**

Earthland-1, Waas Forest, X790: Ultear

"Shou..." Jellal whispered.

The star mage's bleeding fist still quivered in the air as he pressed futilely on the crack in the universe. For the first time in years, the old death wish coiled in Ultear's belly. _No. No coward's way out. Never again._ She took a deep breath. "Jellal. I'm sorry," she whispered.

"We knew we couldn't be gods," he whispered back. Tears trickled down his cheeks. "Next time, we must be ready." Ultear nodded. Meredy gulped, hands clasped over her mouth. "This Daphne. I think I recognize her. I can't remember where."

"You were in Black Vox together," Ultear prodded. "I don't know why. I can look her up."

"Please," Jellal said, slowly pulling his fist back. The break in the dimensional barrier healed. His bleeding knuckles didn't. Neither did his heart. "We need to know what her base magic is. We can also assume that her counterpart is more powerful and dangerous after being trained by Hades."

Meredy lowered her hands. "Jellal," she breathed.

"I'll be all right. We were never going to save everyone, but we must prepare for Grimoire's wards. I will not watch helplessly again." His voice was gut-wrenching in its neutrality. Ultear nodded. "Work on modeling future paths without risking a lock on them through the Observation Effect."

"Of course." Ultear prepped her crystal ball for the effort. "We should rest for now. I've frozen progress on the timeline. They'll wait for us."

"Good. This isn't a hobby any longer. It never should have been." Jellal walked to the forest's edge before Ultear could remind him that they had never treated it like one.

"I'm worried about him," Meredy noted.

"We'll make it right," Ultear said. _If only I was as confident as I sounded._


	56. Vol. 12, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Black Vox, X784: Jellal

_It's not the first time I've been buried in a dungeon,_ Jellal reminded himself. It didn't help.

The crystal cell was barely large enough to lie down in, and then only if he stretched himself along the diagonal portion of the square floor. He sat upright instead, once again working on his meditation. There was constant light and no furnishings, only a waste disposal seat that appeared when he needed it and vanished when he was done. It was made of the purest distilled magic sealing stone, harsh on both his eyes and his ethernano.

Worse were the manacles on his wrists. They'd been disconnected once he was in his cell, the extra sealing stone insurance against his magic-maintaining defenses, but they were almost identical to the ones he'd worn in the Tower. It was a constant effort to keep the flashbacks from overwhelming him. _I'm trapped in a Grim-Hell of triggers,_ Jellal realized, jaw trembling from the effort to hold onto some semblance of control.

"Good morning, Jellal," one of the amphibian guards said as he approached. Jellal slumped. _Gods. Him again,_ he realized. In the distance, a woman hissed in displeasure. "Look at you. The famous Shield of Fiore. The Living Starburst." The purple toad-man stuck his staff through the wall, which rippled to allow it passage. He shocked the helpless mage with it, Jellal convulsing with all-too-familiar pain. "Remember me? It's Nadal. Just Nadal." He leaned in, leering at the prisoner with a smile that promised yet more suffering. "How are you feeling today, _traitor?"_

A more slender, green-skinned toad-man walked up with a cautious gait. "You shouldn't do that, Nadal," he muttered, looking around while he wrung his hands. "What if Fairy Tail finds out?"

"Those freaks," Nadal snarled, hitting Jellal with another jolt, "are going to be the new Council's first target, Serena. Word is Gran Doma's going to be the next Chairman." Jellal sighed. _Of course. Doma never trusted Siegrain or Daphne._ The guard pulled his staff out of Jellal's cell. "Our new friend's going to be with us for a long time." _It already feels like an eternity._

A light flickered to life overhead. Nadal and Serena both yelped and leaped into the air. "Visitors? Now?" Nadal gasped.

Serena wrung his hands, eyes darting from the cramped cell to the exit and back. "I warned you...Nadal, I _warned_ you..."

Nadal slapped one hand on Jellal's cell. "Keep your mouth shut, traitor, unless you want a lot of company," he hissed, then opened the cell with a twist of his arm. Jellal found himself prodded – without torture, this time – through several halls, to a visiting cell considerably larger than his regular one. The duo shoved him in and fled. The Starburst sighed and sat on the bench, an uncomfortable slab of wood. _Still better than an empty room two sizes too small,_ he decided.

A few moments later, Erza strode into the room beyond the crystal wall, followed by Ultear, Gray, Levy, Freed _(what happened to his hair?_ Jellal wondered), Lisanna, Wendy, and Carla. The cat frowned the moment she saw Jellal, but the other women maintained carefully-fixed smiles. Gray and Freed's expressions were calm and neutral. _Gray is anything but calm right now,_ Jellal guessed, _but I'll take it._ Ultear snorted and crossed her arms. "Well. The Council's hospitality is as warm and inviting as ever," she quipped.

"I'm happy to see you, too," Jellal replied, eyes racing across the welcome faces, "but I was expecting another small visit, not an army."

"We've made some progress," Levy explained, pulling out a law book that her diminutive frame made seem enormous. "The real obstacle has been the lack of a Magic Council," she explained, pages flipping past once she put on her glasses. "Fortunately, there are some old precedents, from before the Council was formed. His Majesty can't just have you released–"

"Unless he pardons you," Erza interjected. Jellal sighed.

"We've discussed that," Levy noted. "Accepting a pardon is admission of guilt. If we can get two other monarchs to send representatives, a three-judge panel can hear your case, even without the Council. Bosco's ready to send someone as soon as we find one more."

Freed cleared his throat. "Caelum has not yet agreed, but we believe it only a matter of time."

"With all the examinations you've agreed to," Lisanna blurted, "the trial shouldn't last long." She touched the crystal with three fingertips, then hissed and pulled her hand back as though burned. _Sealing stone's no joke, Lisanna,_ Jellal thought, but said nothing.

"Still can't believe Siegrain gets house arrest while you're in this hole," Gray rumbled.

"I'm fine," Jellal lied, leaning forward. "Tell me about the guild. It's good to see a member of the Thunder Tribe. Is Laxus okay?" The vanishing smiles and darting eyes made his stomach plummet. "Oh, Chronos. What did he do?"

Freed glanced at Erza, who shrugged and waved for him to speak. "We forced the guild into a fighting tournament," the script mage admitted, running a hand through his newly-short hair. "I created the boundaries and rules, while Bickslow and Evergreen attacked anyone who went after Laxus." Jellal groaned and buried his face in one hand. "Eventually, we were all defeated. Master Makarov was merciful enough to let the Thunder Tribe remain, but...Laxus was excommunicated."

"It sounds like he got off easy," Jellal whispered. _Laxus, you damned idiot._ He looked up again to find Freed looking down, while Ultear put a hand on his shoulder. "I take it there's more to it."

"Nothing you need to worry about," Ultear insisted. Then she grinned. "Oh, except you know how Lyon 'beat' Mom? It turns out she and Mystogan had been taking down Phantom branches all day. She didn't want to mention it and ruin the moment."

"Ice Volcano," Freed added, shivering. Jellal couldn't help a chuckle. _Well, now I know who beat Freed sensible._

"Mirajane and Natsu dealt with Laxus," Erza added. "Protecting the guild helped restore Mira to her former strength, if she had ever truly been weakened."

Jellal blinked. "Mira fought him?" Erza nodded. _Well. It seems, to use Mira's terms, that ship is well and truly sunk. Not that it's seemed likely for years._ He shrugged. "At least Natsu must have enjoyed himself."

Wendy giggled. "He was the only one who wanted to join the tournament. Freed's runes didn't work right, though."

"That's not possible, I tell you," Freed insisted, looking up again and rubbing his chin. "Letter Magic doesn't malfunction."

"Later," Jellal said. _Though Freed's right, that should be impossible..._ He shook his head. "What about Cult Buster? Any news on the Dark Guilds?"

Erza and Ultear looked at each other. The space mage turned away. "Cult Buster disbanded," Erza explained, her voice as gentle as it ever got. Jellal gasped. "After Shou's funeral, the team just...came apart." Jellal made a fist, but said nothing. "Finding out about Cana–" Erza's eyes went wide, and she froze.

Jellal straightened. "What about Cana?"

"She was dating Shou," Gray explained. Jellal's mouth hung open. "They were keeping it secret because of Gildarts." The ice mage shrugged. "She's doing better after the Fighting Festival. Apparently, beating on Freed made for good therapy."

"I thought Ur defeated Freed," Jellal pointed out.

Freed sighed. "Cana fought well, but I had the upper hand until Ultear intervened," he explained. Jellal blinked. _Oh. Oh dear._ Jellal imagined Ultear in one of Freed's many traps. _That explains the Ice Volcano._

"Anyway," Levy jumped in, "all's well that ends well. I'm sure the master will let Laxus back in once he apologizes. In the meantime, we brought you some books." Erza requipped into a librarian's garb, complete with extraneous glasses, and summoned a cart full of novels and manga. Jellal whistled. "Half of them are copies of your favorites. The rest are new. We picked out a mix of mysteries, espionage, and magic fiction."

"Thank you," Jellal whispered, hands pressed against the crystal. The pain was irrelevant, so he ignored it. "It's a shame I can't keep them. The rules here are very strict."

Erza's smile was sharp-edged. "We've heard. It turns out some of those restrictions are rather illegal." She waved to someone outside of Jellal's sight, and Kagura walked in. She was wearing her full uniform, Defender hanging prominently on her hip. "One of us will remain with you at all times. Just in case." She pushed the cart into the crystal wall, which permitted it to pass after a moment's effort. There was a terrified croak in the distance.

"Toadies," Ultear muttered.

"Ultear," Jellal replied, not bothering to hide his disappointment. She looked away again, expression hidden behind a curtain of hair. "As long as this doesn't start the fight we were trying to avoid."

Kagura bowed to him. "I spoke with Captain Lahar earlier, aniki. He is poorly socialized, but surprisingly reasonable once you get past that." _Captain? Someone got a promotion. Impressive, with no Magic Council._ She pulled a chair around and sat in the corner just opposite his cell. "You will remain here, instead of in a stone box, until your hearing."

Jellal couldn't help another smile, in spite of the returning grief. "I don't know what to say," he breathed.

"Then say nothing," Erza replied, her hand stroking the crystal wall. "Simply know that we will be reunited soon."

Jellal nodded. "I love you too," he said, unable to suppress a smile at the blush that spread across the bridge of mighty Titania's nose.

After a few more farewells, the group filed out, Carla trailing behind. She glanced at the cell, then Kagura. "Be careful," the cat said. "Something's coming that shouldn't be." Kagura and Jellal shared a glance. Then the swordswoman shrugged and pulled out a romance manga. _Huh. Didn't expect that._ Nadal slunk towards them, but one glare from the younger Mikazuchi and the sadist steered his slinking away. She nodded and returned to her manga. _Might as well,_ Jellal decided, picking out a new _Flash Rogers_ novel and losing himself in the book's vision of X1279.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOTATION: Flash Rogers is a mashup of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, probably the two most famous comic strip science fiction heroes of SF's Golden Age. Dale Deering and Kane the Merciless (who will be mentioned in later chapters) are likewise amalgams of the heroes' love interests and arch-enemies, respectively.


	57. Vol. 12, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, Black Vox, X784: Kagura

_If that toady even approaches Jellal again,_ Kagura thought, barely controlling a snarl, _I am going to cut his staff in two. Perhaps Nadal as well._ Jellal had gone to considerable lengths to hide his shock burns, but the way he twitched whenever he bent at the waist had been enough hint for Kagura to work out what had happened. _Should I tell Erza-nee?_ Memories flashed past, of buildings collapsing in the wake of mashed strawberry cakes. _It's not that serious yet._

She glanced at the imprisoned Starburst. He was still reading voraciously, halfway through his second novel. _Erza should be here soon,_ she thought, fist clenching. _Not sure if that's a good thing._ Kagura noted the ragged condition of his almost-sleeveless shirt and ripped slacks. _They didn't even give him shoes,_ she thought, not for the first time. Her jaw twitched, teeth grinding.

The wall beside her exploded. Screams rose above the crashing-stone din even as a wall of dust obscured her vision. _Zen! We're under attack!_ She slashed out with Defender's scabbard, the dust cloud parting before her force. The sight that greeted her was no comfort.

_The Oracion Seis!_ Kagura realized with a gasp. They stood there as if posing, a pair of nearly-identical spirits hovering over Angel's shoulders. "No more security, piri piri," they echoed as one.

"That warden was a pervert," Angel sighed. "Don't worry, you won't have to copy him again." The two spirits nodded and vanished.

"Kagura, get out of there!" Jellal cried, hands slapping against the crystal barrier.

Kagura drew her blade, Defender glowing with fierce white light. "I'm not abandoning you," she insisted, sliding into her most basic ready stance. _Wait for an opening,_ she thought, maintaining her breath, even and calm. _Let them come to me._

"I can hear you," Cobra smirked. "She's playing defense," he added, looking at the man with the lines on his face. "Holding her ground, expecting us to screw up." Kagura frowned and focused on Jellal's training in counter-telepathy. _Block him out,_ she thought, running songs and formulas through her mind, _make thought and action one._ His smirk only grew.

"We should take her out quickly," Racer said, arms crossed. Even standing still, his body quivered with the need to move.

Brain nodded and raised his skull-staff. "Miss Mikazuchi is strong. We can ill afford to spar with her, and she will be a powerful ally once we have Nirvana."

"Never, monster," Kagura hissed. She glanced at Hoteye. _I don't recognize Richard in those features, but Wally doesn't bear any resemblance to his childhood pictures either–_ Cobra froze, eyes widening. _What was that?_

"Dark Rondo!" Brain chanted, and the world exploded with pain and darkness. Kagura gritted her teeth and slashed, disrupting the toxic-green energies around her. Jellal screamed and punched the crystal. It cracked, but only a fraction.

"Motor," Racer said, and came at her from every direction at once. After three futile slashes, Kagura tensed, then sent a gravity pulse all around her. Racer flew back, landing beside Hoteye. Jellal attacked his prison more deliberately, punching and kicking at the fracture he'd made.

A larger crack formed above her. _Wait, there's no crystal up there,_ she realized, seeing the break form in empty air. "Don't," Brain continued, looking at the fracture. "If you stay outside our world, I swear to leave Kagura alive, and you know I need Jellal intact. If you enter, I cannot guarantee her safety."`

_No._ Kagura took in a ragged breath. _Please don't let them...take nii-san..._ Hoteye stepped forward, grinning and holding a book. "Money is our strength, yes!" he declared, pointing at his eyes with his free hand. The ground became liquid beneath her, and Kagura sank to her waist. Jellal pounded on his prison wall more ferociously than ever, fists and feet beginning to bleed. Kagura tried to use Gravity Change to pull herself out, but the floor solidified as quickly as it had softened.

"Stop," Brain ordered, glaring at Jellal. "Angel." The spirit mage laughed and pointed at Kagura. The two spirits from earlier merged to form a floating, grinning duplicate of her, its sword at Kagura's throat.

"No!" Jellal gasped, leaping back and holding up his hands. "Please, I surrender, just don't hurt her!"

"Aniki, _don't!"_ Kagura tightened her grip on Defender, but her replica placed the tip of its sword on the base of her chin.

"He had no more choice than you do, Kagura Mikazuchi," Brain said, smiling coldly at her, "but it is not as bad as it seems." He held up his skull staff, more dark green light pulsing from its crystal. The magic-sealing wall swirled away. A hand of green and black force gripped Jellal from shoulders to ankles. "After all, you and Jellal have something in common. Soon, you will both be reunited with your brothers." He laughed, and Kagura watched with a helpless snarl as the villain's magic carried Jellal and the Oracion Seis away.


	58. Vol. 12, Ch. 4

Earthland-1, Waas Forest, X790: Jellal

"Back to Worth Woodsea," Jellal ordered.

Ultear blinked. Meredy looked at her mother, but the older woman didn't argue. "On the rare occasions you truly command, my friend, I will always obey," Ultear said, "but I don't understand your purpose."

"Magical sympathy," Jellal explained, using his telekinesis to pack their supplies. "Yes, we've been able to project our voices from anywhere, but every time we've wished to intervene directly, the Balam Alliance has thwarted us." He glared at the sphere, Brain's vile smirk burned into his memory. _You will not hurt Erza again, Zero,_ he swore. "It should be easier to reach them from the crater of Nirvana's resurrection in our world. The site of its destruction remains a focus of Rune Knight activity, but people avoid the valley created by its rise."

"Which will let us be there before the Oracion Seis," Meredy filled in, beaming and clapping her hands. "Brilliant!"

Ultear smiled as well. "Which is why I obey you before I question," she added. Jellal looked away. "You have always led us with wisdom and compassion."

"Thank you, Ultear. Rest assured, I will honor the faith you and Meredy place in me." He frowned, memories flickering back to battles long won and Dark Guilds destroyed years since. _I cannot allow either of them to come to harm,_ he thought, _but neither can we abandon the world we've created. Perhaps we can prevent further grief arising from our actions._


	59. Vol. 13, Ch. 1

**Volume Thirteen: "Nirvana" Means Liberation**

Earthland-2, Worth Woodsea, X784: Fernandes

The blue-haired man groaned and blinked. He was wearing a sleeveless purple tunic, black slacks, and matching boots. That was less important than the chains pinning him to a stone chair, binding his magic along with his limbs. _Where..._ he wondered, vision blurry.

"Jellal!" a child gasped, the unfocused form struggling.

"Siegrain," a man corrected, striding forward holding a stick.

"Fernandes," the blue-haired man sighed, shaking his head to clear it. He blinked again, vision coming into focus. The child was a girl, thin and short, with hair a fraction darker than his. She was being held by a sharp-nosed man in red and white, but he wasn't the one who'd spoken. The staff-man was white-haired, with lines marking his face. _Names are all I remember...Fernandes, and Erza._ He met the lined man's eyes, but could see nothing of the person within. Only his reflection gazed back from them.

"I am known as Brain, old friend," the older man explained, tapping his staff on the ground. "You have long been my student, Siegrain. With your knowledge of the Council's secrets, we can find Nirvana and unleash it, together." The child gasped again, struggling against sharp-nose's grip.

"I...that's not...it's not right," Fernandes whispered, testing his bonds. "If we're friends, why am I a prisoner?" The child nodded emphatically.

Brain shrugged. "The vile Rune Knights shackled your mind as well as your body," he said, glancing at a sleeping person on a flying carpet. Fernandes couldn't determine the sleeper's gender. "In the process of liberating you and claiming your twin, there might have been some...leakage between you." He gestured, and a bizarre T-shaped coffin floated over. It was covered in chains that held it closed. "This sight ought to help." He snapped his fingers, and the coffin's chains came loose. The doors swung open, and the child clapped her hands over her mouth.

A man identical to Fernandes was within, save for his garb – dirty, once-white prison clothes, a ragged shirt and pants. He didn't even have shoes. "This is Jellal, your brother," Brain told him, looking at the imprisoned twin. "We captured him to grant you the power you once accessed from him. Alone, you are a Wizard Saint, nearly as powerful as Makarov Dreyar himself. With your brother's might added to your own, you can surpass even the dread God Serena." He looked over his shoulder back at Fernandes and snapped again. Fernandes' chains fell from his body. _I – I'm free,_ he realized, standing with deliberate care. His body still shook, from what weakness he couldn't guess.

"I – I don't believe it!" the girl cried, struggling in sharp-nose's grasp again. "Your scents are all mixed up! He's doing this on purpose, he must be!"

"I nearly forgot," Brain continued, his smile returning, cruel and sharp. "The child is Wendy Marvell. While Jellal foolishly loves all his fellow fairies, you are more discerning. Your brother has become hers as well, after a fashion. She is your favorite among them." The dark wizard turned and pointed his staff at Wendy. "Who you believe you are is irrelevant. If you cooperate, I will instruct the girl to heal your brother. Otherwise, she will be the first to die."

"No!" Fernandes blurted, darting between Brain and Wendy and throwing out his hands. Wendy bared her teeth at her captor, who didn't bother to react. "What...what do you want?"

"Nir- _va_ -na," Brain said, his smile growing in size and malice. "My Archive Magic can reawaken your knowledge of the ancient city. If you join us, I will allow you to join our great venture, and permit Miss Marvell to heal your brother." The malevolent force around his staff grew. "If not..."

"You don't know which one I am," Fernandes whispered. The dark magic vanished, and both Brain and sharp-nose stared at him, eyes wide. Tears trickled down Wendy's cheeks. "Do you? That's the reason for this charade. It's not that you know I'm Jellal, or that you're using amnesia to manipulate Siegrain. You found someone important to both of us. You told the truth about our jumbled memories."

Brain chuckled. "Both of you have always been brilliant," he admitted, bowing. "Very well, 'Fernandes,' I admit it. I do not know which of you is which. We were attacked by the Rune Knights shortly after capturing Jellal, and there was significant magical flux between you. I _suspect_ you are Siegrain, given that the man in the coffin wears the prison garb, but so much was transferred between you, even your clothes might have been exchanged." He grimaced at the figure in the coffin. "Daphne's magic conceals Siegrain's internal organs, for reasons I have not bothered to unravel. That ward, too, has been mingled."

"Perhaps neither of us is precisely Jellal or Siegrain any longer?" Fernandes asked.

Brain shook his head. "Souls cannot be mixed in that way. Besides, there is one matter in which you twins are completely opposite." He pointed at the cave opening with his staff. "Even if your very cells have been exchanged, one of you is Jellal, the man who loves Titania as few men love, and the other is Siegrain, the man who hates her as _no_ man hates."

Fernandes gasped and clutches his head. Pain shot through it like jagged glass. "But...I...I don't know!" he cried, tears streaming down his cheeks. "How can I not know whether I love or hate someone? All I remember is her name, and that she's important somehow!"

The dark wizard's laugh froze Fernandes' heart. "That was a thing I could not allow to interfere with our ascension," he explained, resting his staff on the ground once more. "Once I realized we could not discern between you, I thought it best that you not know, either." Fernandes gasped, then snarled, gathering star magic in his hands. "Remember your friend," Brain pointed out, an open palm directed at Wendy. "Remember your brother." He pointed at the cave exit with his staff. "Now go." Archive windows appeared around them, prodding memory of Nirvana with all the considerable data Brain had at his fingertips. "I taught you much of research magic, no matter which Fernandes you are. I taught you well."

Fernandes slumped, nodded, and floated out, seeking the hiding place of the ancient wonder. "Why?" he asked, grimacing as he cast forth tendrils of Astrology divination.

"You and your brother are both followers of the gods of old," Brain said, smile vanishing as his knuckles turned white on the staff. He, the two Generals, and Wendy followed on a platform of Darkness Magic. "You should understand. Zentopia's crimes against our people remain unanswered. Their lies about Light and Darkness pervade every level of magical society. All the while, the Cults of Zeref deify the immortal reaper who is the enemy of nature itself. We will restore the balance of the Old Ways. All for the glory of Ankhseram."

"The glory of death and rebirth," Sharp-nose added.

Brain smiled again. "Well said, Racer."

With that last word, knowledge of the Oracion Seis trickled in along with the history lesson, all prodded into his ravaged mind by Brain's Archive magic: names, faces, Arts; battles, sacrifices, crimes. Fernandes shook his head. "Madness. The last Zentopians who committed those crimes died over a hundred years ago, they are some of our greatest allies against the Cults of Zeref, and you're in the _Balam Alliance,_ for Mavis' sake."

"I see your memory begins to return. Grimoire Heart wishes to capture Zeref, wielding his power as their own. Tartaros seeks to kill him. We will side with whichever faction is most likely to succeed," Brain lectured, prodding the star wizard onward, "but for the Dark Guilds to rise, the Legal Guilds must join or fall. The last remnants of the Magic Council will be swept away. We shall conquer Alvarez, destroy Zeref's legacy, erase the Zen lie from history, and bestride the world with the power of the gods themselves!"

"Our prayers will at last be answered," Racer added, his voice awful in its neutrality.

Fernandes hissed through his teeth as another memory emerged. "Lapointe. You're Bishop Lapointe. All you did was make yourself thinner and cut your hair. How did I not recognize you?"

Brain smiled again. "Why would Jellal suspect his beloved teacher, when Lapointe's face is long and bare?" he asked, gesturing at the enchanted lines. "Siegrain, of course, knew from the beginning." Fernandes' Astrology and Brain's Archive soon led them to a massive, glowing tree, with rounded standing stones arrayed around it. Vines reached out from all around the grove to touch the shining bark. "Perfect! This must be it." Brain made a fist, and the group descended. "Fernandes, if you would?"

Fernandes frowned. Racer tightened his grip on Wendy. Tensing, the Heavenly Body Mage delved into the tree's ethernano with his own. _Gods have mercy. Even with so little memory, this is – it's easy._ Magic poured out of him, directing power and command into the earth.

Earth shuddered. Stones and plants trembled and fell away. Beasts and birds fled. A vast column of light, striated with veins of shadow, burst toward the heavens. Then, all at once, the land around them erupted into the sky. Great bridges of stone tore themselves from the earth, each of them stretching out far below as a city dug itself free around them. The newly-exposed Nirvana carried them into the sky, bearing them aloft with implacable force.

At last, Racer's cool resolve vanished, replaced by a manic glee. "So fast! It's coming – our future!" His smile threatened to split his face. Brain laughed with a madman's joy. The speedster released Wendy without a thought as he watched the titanic city rise.

_Be a shame to waste such a perfect distraction,_ Fernandes decided, directing all that light into the faces of the Dark Mages. "Meteor!" he shouted, grabbing Wendy and flying away from the rising city center. Below them, the massive city tore free of the earth, towering above the forest on six massive legs.

"Wendy!" a graceful white cat gasped, darting towards them from above. "Are you all right?"

The young Dragon Slayer nodded. "Yes, Carla, thanks to, um, Fernandes."

Carla leveled off alongside him, watching the Heavenly Body Mage with a wary eye. "To 'Fernandes?' What is that supposed to mean?"

"I have amnesia," Fernandes explained. "Due to a convoluted series of events, no one seems to know which of us is which." He turned a grim look on the rising Nirvana. "Though given recent events, it seems increasingly likely that I am the bad one. Siegrain, right?"

The cat grimaced, an odd sight even for a man without memory. "Yes, Siegrain was the – I can't believe I'm saying this – 'evil twin.' If you are not evil any longer, however, Fairy Tail will probably welcome you."

"That's right!" Wendy insisted. "I knew Siegrain wasn't all bad. Besides, I know you'll want to rescue your brother, no matter who you are!"

Fernandes sighed. "That’s why I think I’m Siegrain. Hate, it seems, can be forgotten, but not love. At any rate, whichever brother I was, in my current state I am no match for Brain, let alone his entire guild." He scanned the ground below. "Where is the rest of Fairy Tail?"

"Searching for Jellal and Wendy," Carla explained. "We've received help from Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Phoenix Grave." Fernandes raised an eyebrow. "Jellal rescued four young mages from Dark Unicorn a few years back, and they've since become Phoenix Grave's strongest team."

"I will take your word for it. I didn't recognize any of those guild names, anyway. Do we have a rally point?" Fernandes asked.

Carla snorted. "You _really_ don't remember Fairy Tail, do you?"

As if on cue, a terrified wail echoed from one of Nirvana's broad, round legs. Wendy and Carla gasped as someone plummeted toward the earth...only to be caught by a pair of small white wings connected by a blue dot. The wail became a cheer. "Happy!" the formerly-falling someone cried.

"Aye _sir!"_ the winged dot replied.

Carla snorted a chuckle. "What would that boy do without the tomcat?"

Fernandes dipped towards the duo, only to find a rose-haired boy carried by an azure cat very much like Carla in morphology (if nothing else). The boy's smile was impossibly wide. "Jellal!"

"Hmph," Carla replied, mouth tightening. "Maybe not."

"Eh?" The boy sniffed the air much as Wendy had, but with a less refined manner. "Ai-yah! He smells like Jellal _and_ Siegrain!"

"I know, Natsu," Wendy replied. Fernandes listened as she tried to explain the strange situation between the brothers. _Natsu,_ the Heavenly Body mage thought, while the Fire Dragon Slayer complained of his inability to understand and Wendy tried again. _That name sounds familiar, when so few elicit any response at all. He's clearly important, but – why?_


	60. Vol. 13, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Nirvana, X784: Erza

The great walking city blurred beneath Titania as her Flight Armor carried her aloft. In most circumstances, such speeds would not allow even Erza to find one person among all the buildings and ruins, especially with Nirvana's stride. _My bond with Jellal will not allow me to miss him,_ she decided, willing it to be true.

It was. A swirling storm of wind, debris, and warped space would have called itself out to her even without a tiny thread of soul-stuff turning bright red in her artificial eye's vision. Erza shot down, staying just high enough to spot the figures in the eye of the storm.

Jellal immediately caught her attention. He was still clad in his prison garb, but magic-sealing chains had been wrapped around his already-weakened body. Erza forced herself to not immediately attack the other figure, holding her helpless beloved like a teddy bear while resting on a flying carpet. _Midnight,_ Erza realized, recognizing him from Oracion Seis' initial attack on the guild.

Before, the boy clad in black and gold had been asleep, face hidden by a bowed head. Now, his eyes tracked her, an expertly-made-up face grinning at Erza as she slowed and descended. "Your smile will not last long, villain. Release him!"

Midnight put a finger to his lips. "Sh," he replied. "You'll wake him." Erza's gaze flickered to her beloved. Jellal seemed peaceful, his breath deep and even as it never was in sleep, a faint smile on his lips. "He tried to answer our prayers," the strange wizard continued, stroking Jellal's hair in a way Erza recognized. _I did much the same when we were children,_ she realized. "Now, I answer his." Midnight smiled at his prisoner.

"While you keep him in chains?" Erza hissed. "Requip!" She changed into her Black Wing Armor, ready to charge at the Dark Mage. "However misguided you may be, Midnight, you seem to care for Jellal. Therefore, if you release him, we may go our separate ways. If not, I will strike you down!"

Midnight laughed. "Reflect!" he chanted, and Erza's armor wrapped around her, pinning her arms and leaving her plummeting!

"Requip!" Erza cried, swapping to her Heaven's Wheel Armor. She landed with a grunt, glaring at Midnight. _Midnight's storm vanished when he did that,_ she realized. _For all his power, he can only focus on one effect at a time._ "Dance, my blades! Circle Sword!"

The storm reappeared around Midnight and Jellal, deflecting every one of her attacks. "The Three Voices," Midnight laughed. Erza blinked. _What?_ she wondered. "They come from a world where Fairy Tail triumphed against us – long ago, yet years from now, all at once." _No matter. He cannot warp my body, either, else he would have done so by now._

"Then we will defeat you again! Blumenblatt!" Erza chanted, charging at Midnight. Her blades warped away, but she flew in – and screamed as a thousand scythes seemed to cut her through all her armor. Jellal flinched in his dream.

Again, Midnight laughed. "You defeated me by knowing my weaknesses. So I have learned them as well! Spiral Pain!" The storm grew, rippling out to consume everything around it. "Perhaps I can only create one Reflection in my current state, and I cannot yet warp a human body – but my distortions can destroy all in their path! You are already dead, Erza Scarlet!"

"No!" the male Voice cried, and runes formed in the air around them. Midnight's laughter vanished, and he stared at the Letter Magic with wide, terrified eyes. The runes cracked and warped as they watched, fists hammering them from beyond. "You will not harm Erza! This time, _I will not allow it!"_

_...Jellal?_ Erza wondered, and a memory not quite her own entered her mind. "Requip!" Erza chanted, and the Robe of Yuen formed around her. "Midnight! I am your opponent!" she insisted, and charged again into the spiral storm. Ignoring the way his spell battered her weary body, Erza forced her way through it, using her naginata to manage a final thrust into its eye. Once there, it was easy enough to plant her fist in Midnight's face. The last she saw of him before driving the Dark Mage through his own spell was the look of horror widening his eyes. Spiral Pain vanished.

"Jellal!" she called, slicing the chains away with twin swipes of her blade. They fell away, and the prone figure's eyes fluttered open. Her smile was almost wide enough to hurt. "Jellal, it's all right. You can wake up now."

"E...Erza?" he whispered, rubbing his eyes and sitting up on the flying carpet. "Where am I? The last thing I remember is Brain sealing me in a coffin." He frowned. "For that matter, I remembered very little at the time, not even my identity." He shrugged off the ruins of his prison shirt, standing with wobbling legs. "How is it I know who I am now?" He looked up, but Erza didn't see his expression.

All her eyes took in was the torment writ large across his ravaged frame. Burn marks, bruises, and new whip scars ran along a leaner frame than she remembered. "Gods...Jellal, what did they do to you?"

"Not us, Scarlet," Midnight groaned, managing to stand with a supreme effort. "Your precious Light wizards did that! The very justice your Jellal sacrificed himself to save?" He pointed at her love, and something dark and thorned coiled around Erza's heart. _"That_ is who they really are! Join us, Fairy Tail, while you still can. My hour is nearly upon you!" Titania trembled, but not with fear or weakness. _They...they...how dare they. How_ dare _they!_ Visions of tearing apart entire Rune Knight divisions flickered through her mind, swords crashing through the flesh and bone of those who would _dare_ to do this to her beloved Starburst!

"You fool," that Starburst snarled, and the dark thorns vanished from around Erza's soul. _Jellal?_ she wondered. _Is that you?_ He turned a furious glare on the Reflector mage. "There is no Nirvana for you, not so long as you serve Brain." Jellal frowned at the newer torture marks. "No matter how valid your position may be, all you have done is trade one captivity for another."

Midnight's eyes widened. "Th-that's not true! Father set us free! He will answer our prayers!"

"Meteor," Jellal snapped, and the spell burst to life around him. "Then why did he not teach Angel and Racer this one spell? She could fly, and he would be fast, rather than relying on their false tricks. Cobra is shackled by the captivity of his serpentine friend. Hoteye's brother has been a Fairy Tail wizard longer than the Oracion Seis have existed. And _you._ You benighted fool." The ground shook. Erza could sympathize with it. "Your rest is forever haunted, isn't it? No matter how long he lets you sleep, the shadow of the Tower looms over you."

"That's Nirvana speaking!" Midnight babbled, cowering against the crater he'd created when Erza had punched him into a building. "I concentrated its magic on you, but even now you don't know how to be free! Please, join us – we can give you all that you desire!"

"Every desire I have stands beside me now," Jellal hissed, teeth bared. In spite of all they'd been through reaching the marching city, Erza's face burned at his words. "Still, you are right about one thing. You have given me Nirvana. It means 'liberation.' Surrender, and I will give you the form you so desire." Midnight's eyes widened further. "Otherwise..." Jellal's eyes glowed. Then he gasped. "Wait. Formula Eyes." Magic script whirled in a sideways figure-8 around his eyes, like glasses that never touched him. "Oh gods, not this again." With that, her beloved sighed – and put his fist through Midnight's chest!

Erza and Midnight screamed as one, looking at the hole Jellal had driven through the Dark Wizard. Then Midnight's horrified look vanished. Bits of lacrima flaked around false skin that hardened as they watched. "That's right. I'd forgotten," Midnight explained. "It feels so real, you see." Then the fake body exploded.

Erza rushed to Jellal's side, but he was merely brushing the ruins of another Daphne replica off his aura. "Meteor protected you?" she asked. He smiled at her and nodded. "Gods, Jellal, don't frighten me like that!" Titania stepped forward to scold him, then kiss him to within an inch of his life. His smile stopped her, and she froze. _That – that's not Jellal's smile –_

The disturbing grin vanished. "Erza? Are you all right?" He put his hands on her arms.

"I should be asking you that question," Erza replied, peering into his eyes. "Jellal, has Nirvana done something to you?"

With that, Jellal let her go, blinking twice. Then he laughed, and Erza's blood ran cold. "Yes, my love. Yes it has." He cast his arms out and looked to the heavens. "It set me free! At last, I see the lies of the Magic Council for what they are." He turned a furious glare at the enormous central tower. "Not that Brain is any better. We must defeat him and bring his 'generals' to our side. Only then can we bring true freedom to this world."

"This does not sound like freedom, Jellal," Erza replied slowly. The dark thorns reached for her soul again. She pushed them away. It was more of an effort than she would have liked. "What exactly are you proposing?"

Jellal turned to her and sighed, taking her arms in his hands again. "Oh, Erza, this is my fault," he replied. "I've taught you those very falsehoods, keeping Fairy Tail shackled even in the face of Master Makarov's teachings. 'Magic is the power of the entire soul. We cannot progress on the path of magic while fearing the eyes of those above. Fairy Tail wizards follow the path we believe in.'" He glanced away, jaw clenched. "Have I ever lived by those words? Have I ever supported Fairy Tail over the order of the world?"

Erza gasped. "You're talking nonsense!" she blurted. "Your path has always been one of wisdom – courage – _kindness!_ Learning the Council's order has allowed you to protect us from it! Even this – this –" she waved at his body, unable to stop her furious trembling. "You endured this to save us, to protect us!"

"And what has that accomplished?" Jellal whispered, turning to look toward the distant forest. "When true villains threaten Ishgar, where are the Rune Knights, Erza?"

For an instant, Erza felt as though her heart had stopped. _Mavis, is he right?_ Titania thought, her fury redoubling. _Is this merely wisdom too long in coming?_ The dark thorns circled her again. With a burst of will, she drove them back. _No. Midnight has twisted Jellal with Nirvana's power. I must reach him somehow._ She glared at Jellal, arms crossed. "That is enough. This is Fairy Tail's battle, and while I am glad that we have friends here to fight by our side, it is just as well the Rune Knights are not part of this. Nirvana has not set you free, Jellal. It has simply made you a prisoner of the Darkness!"

Jellal turned his smile back on Erza. Her knees wobbled, and she bit her lip before she could stop herself. _He wants me,_ Erza thought, seeing fires in his eyes unlike any she'd known. _As I want him._ "Am I now? Do I seem a prisoner to you, love?" Even as he was, the strength he used to pull her towards him was gentle. "Is this not what you want me to be, the power you've dreamed of, a Jellal who is truly a Fairy Tail wizard, unafraid to show my passion for you?"

Erza met his gaze a few moments longer. _This was the other Erza's mistake,_ she decided. _She was too young, but – if she had tried to reach past the darkness, had faith in him...thank you, nee-san. I will remember this when at last we meet._ Erza smiled. "I believe in you, Jellal." She reached out and pulled him towards her. "Show me."

They kissed.

Something dark and covered in thorns coiled around Jellal's soul. It reached for Erza while they kissed, but Jellal's magic knew the evil power's target and burned the soul-venom away in an instant. _This contest is over._


	61. Vol. 13, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, Nirvana, X784: Jellal

_Wh-what?_

Something foul and toxic and cruel reached for Erza. _She trusts me – believes in me – and this dark magic uses that to strike at her?_ Even as they embraced, Jellal's Cosmic Magic reached out to protect her. _Never!_

Jellal let Erza go, stumbling back. Something drained away from him, leaving the Starburst reeling. He clutched his forehead. "I...Erza, I..." Memories rushed in, the void left behind by the battle between Black Vox and the Oracion Seis filled by his bond to his guild, to his friends, to Erza. Horror followed alongside them. _Gods, am I so weak that–_

_Clang._

"I do not want to hear one word of guilt from you, Jellal," Erza ordered, holding Jellal's forehead to her breastplate. _"Not. One."_

"ow," Jellal groaned. Erza yelped and let him go, leaping away. "Very well," he chuckled. "No guilt. Just a request to remind me to research further mind wards when we get back." He rubbed his forehead. "It seems my existing ones failed. Again. Status?"

"I believed Midnight to be the last of the Six Generals still active," Erza sighed, looking down at the replica's remains, "but this new development puts that assessment into doubt. How have the Oracion Seis done this?"

Jellal shoved aside the guilt Erza demanded he not speak of, focusing instead on the wreckage before him. "This looks like Zalty's – Daphne's work," he explained, sifting through the crystals and circuitry. Erza gasped. "Except...the etheric connections, the artificial organs, they're all more advanced than Daphne's most recent creations."

"How is that possible?" Erza asked, requipping into her Adamant Armor. _I'm not sure she even realized it,_ Jellal noted. "I thought Daphne was the most advanced user of Personification Magic in Ishgar!"

"Someone must have taught her," Jellal replied, making a trembling fist. "Brain's cover identity of Bishop LaPointe gave him access to a great many Magic Council secrets. Gods, Erza, he was my tutor - and Siegrain's. He might be responsible for Siegrain's descent into darkness."

"He was LaPointe?" Erza whispered. Her fist clanged shut, shaking much as his own did.

"Among others," Ultear said, using a crystal platform to carry Wendy, Natsu, Happy, Carla, Lucy, and a cloaked figure. Natsu's eyes swirled from the effects of the ride. "Brain was behind my captivity, designed the Tower of Heaven, served as the contact between the Balam Alliance and their moles on the Council – there's no telling how much misery that monster's responsible for."

"How did you learn all this?" Jellal asked as they landed. Natsu rolled off the platform and kissed the ground. Lucy cringed at the sight.

Ultear's grin bordered on the diabolic as she summoned Brain's staff into her hands. "Meet Klodoa, the self-proclaimed seventh member of the Six Prayers. He's been very helpful."

The skull-topped staff recoiled from Jellal's glare. "I-I'm happy to be of assistance, Lady Ultear!" Klodoa quailed, shivering in her grip.

"What a sweet skull-on-a-stick," Ultear quipped, her grin twisting as her gaze bore into the thing. "Apparently, Brain's some kind of religious fanatic."

"Ankhseram," Jellal whispered. Ultear's eyes widened. "'All for the glory of Ankhseram.' It's his catchphrase, and it's not remotely dandy." Natsu chuckled as Jellal stood. The Starburst looked at Natsu's feet, then around at the city. "We've stopped?"

"They were after Cait Shelter," Wendy explained. "Master Roubaul is the last of the Nirvits. They created Nirvana."

"But he could have just gone through the gate to Magnolia," Jellal said, running his fingers through his hair.

Natsu grinned. "Yep! So guess what he did."

Carla huffed. "The enemy is deciding what to do next," she informed them, arms folded in front of her in her usual formal manner. "Even with most of Fairy Tail's wizards here, the Prayers didn't expect to lose all of their lacrima drones." _Thank the gods for her Clairvoyance Magic._

"Or their armies," Ultear added. "Honestly, we'd be done if it weren't for this monster city marching across the Woodsea." She grimaced, looking around. "Brain's been stomping all over us, using this thing's legs to scatter whole guilds, turning wizard against wizard with Nirvana's soul-cannon thing. No one's even come close to resisting it so far."

"Except Jellal," Erza grinned, voice filled with pride. "Midnight focused all its power on him, and all that happened was he got aggressive."

"It was a lot more than that, Erza," Jellal whispered, looking down. "I was ready to destroy the Rune Knights. If he turns that weapon on a city...we have to stop Nirvana before that happens." He took deep breaths, devouring wind and light, drawing in power and strength from the heavens. "If we fail, Brain will tear down civilization itself." He tried to force together enough memory and knowledge of Nirvana to analyze their situation. It didn't work. "Grim," he cursed. "Nirvana has to have a weakness. It must! Something this big has to get its magical energy from _somewhere."_

"The earth," came the answer, both heard and thought at once.

"Hibiki!" Wendy cheered. Jellal's smile was genuine for the first time since Akane. _Archive Magic. Maybe we have a chance after all._ He lent his knowledge and power to Hibiki's telepathic communion, turning all his attention to the Blue Pegasus scholar as Hibiki explained how the legs drew energy from the earth and passed it through six enormous lacrima crystals, and how they must all be destroyed at once.

"Very clever," Brain replied. The others gasped. Jellal followed the Archive Magic back to its source – one of the very lacrima crystals they'd been directed to destroy. "You use Archive Magic well, boy – but no one is more capable with this magic than I." Images of each crystal entered their minds, and they were guarded by the Oracion Seis! "Why do you think I bothered with Daphne's lacrima dolls? The very forces that gave you Ultear and Jellal will now result in the downfall of your entire guild, and the very Light itself!"

"Hoteye!" Jura, the Wizard Saint of Lamia Scale, threw his mind into the link. "This is not your prayer! Your brother is here, striving to save you even now! Fight Brain’s control!"

"It is no use," Brain laughed. "I foresaw the possibility that you would turn my children against me." Jellal gasped, then hissed at the sight of the five Tower refugees projected into their minds. Hoteye, Cobra, Angel, Racer, even Midnight, they all had the same blank stares. _Possession Magic,_ Jellal realized. _A crude, blunt form, without the least thought for personality or agency._ The Archive bond shuddered in Brain's grip. "And all of you are next. Nirvana does not move, because my first target is Nirvana itself." The cannon swirled with power. "Every last one of you shall join the Balam Alliance! _All for the glory of Ankhseram!"_ With a burst of headache-inducing mind magic, Brain left the bond, still laughing.

Jellal frowned and knelt down, placing his hand on the road. They all looked to him, eyes pleading for hope. "It will take Brain time to reconfigure Nirvana for an area burst rather than a strike from its cannon. Hibiki, on my mark, we have...thirty-one minutes: _mark."_

The Archive Mage downloaded a timer to each of them. "I'm sorry," Hibiki whispered. "My magic won't last that long, but this should let you coordinate." There was a pause. "We can get Christina into the air for one bombing pass, should it come to that."

"I don't see how that helps, but we'll keep it in mind," Jellal replied. "Thank you." He straightened, forcing the pain aside. _It means nothing,_ Jellal told himself, but the many indignities he'd suffered had other ideas. "Who can still fight?"

Erza, Natsu, and Ultear all grinned. Wendy stepped forward, but Carla grabbed her hand. "Don't be reckless," the cat admonished. "You've used up too much of your power healing people as it is!" Wendy sighed and nodded.

"Perhaps I can help," the cloaked man said – in Jellal's voice. Jellal and Erza both stiffened as he pulled back his hood, revealing a grim-looking Siegrain. A memory returned with him, crashing into Jellal like Sema – _Shou falling, dying, body ruined, soul rising –_

"You want to help?" Jellal snarled. "Hold still! _Meteo–"_

"Wait!" Wendy darted in front of Jellal, arms outstretched. "He's lost his memory!" Jellal gasped, so in time with Erza that he almost missed it. "Siegrain saved me, and Lyon, and even Lucy!"

"Gray and Lyon fought Racer. Lucy fought Angel. The duplicate bodies exploded upon defeat, so I intervened to ensure their safety," Siegrain explained. "Unfortunately, I don't think I have enough magic power left to fight, but I should be able to supplement the blond wizard's Archive with my own magic."

Jellal looked at his brother for several long seconds. Then he looked at Erza, and Siegrain followed suit, examining the scarlet-haired warrior with curiosity. _There's no hatred in his eyes,_ the Starburst realized. "Very well. Ultear, Natsu, Erza, and I make four." He glanced at Lucy.

"Angel has Karen Lilica," Lucy said, straightening, "and all her spirits except Leo." Jellal gaped. "I have to save them!"

"That's impossible!" Jellal blurted. "If she were alive, Leo would never have been exiled!"

"A Schrodinger Box," Siegrain explained. "Another of Brain's toys, though apparently this one was Daphne's idea." Ultear glared at Jellal's brother as he continued. "Karen is both alive and dead, in a stasis that lets Angel call on Lilica's knowledge of Celestial Spirits while ensuring that no one comes looking for her, even in Heaven itself."

"Ankhseram," Jellal whispered. "God of Life and Death alike. Of course." He nodded. "Very well. Lucy makes five."

"Six," Gray called through the link. "I owe that creep Racer a rematch." Natsu and Lucy smiled, her relief obvious, his less so.

"Remember, they're all captives of Brain's magic. None of them ever had a chance to make their own decisions," Jellal pointed out. A chorus of objections echoed through the link. "I'm not telling you to risk your lives by going too easy on them. Just remember that they're victims in this, and that we might be able to win them over to our side." Jellal reached out with his magic. "Okay. I know which General is at which lacrima. Gray will take Racer, and Lucy will handle Angel. Who else?"

"I'm going after Cobra!" Natsu insisted. "He's a Dragon Slayer, so I've got to stop him!"

"I will save Hoteye," Erza stated, requipping into her Earth Empress Armor.

"I will help," Wally groaned. "Maybe I can't fight, but he's still my brother." Jellal winced. _Mavis. It sounds like, however Wally learned that, it wasn't 'dandy.'_

"Brain," Ultear hissed, "is _mine."_

Erza stopped and looked at Jellal, a hint of fear in her eyes. "I will handle Midnight," he confirmed. "If all goes well, I will free the Reflector from Brain. Otherwise, it will be a matter for justice."

"Can you defeat him?" Erza asked, one hand on his shoulder. _Stop shaking,_ Jellal ordered himself, and his body obeyed for the moment. "You have suffered much since your unjust arrest."

"No one else has answered," Jellal noted. "I will defeat him, because I must. And," he added, flashing Erza the best smile he could muster, "because I am a Fairy Tail wizard. As I have always been." Erza smiled back, wiping a single tear from her natural eye. He turned to Ultear. "What about Brain, Ultear? You are formidable, but he is their guild master."

"Trust me, Blue," Ultear said, jaw set with determination. "When I'm done with Brain, they're going to have to rename him Skull, because that'll be all that's left of him." She held up the quivering Klodoa and grinned. "See?"

Jellal nodded. "Let's go."


	62. Vol. 13, Ch. 4

Earthland-2, Nirvana, X784: Ultear

Five tiny screens created by her Arc monitored her nakama as Ultear marched down the corridor, striding toward Brain and destiny. _I may not have known it until you kidnapped my best friend, Brainiac, but I've been waiting_ _my whole life to pound you flat._ She checked in briefly on Erza and Natsu – _Hoteye's barely going to be a challenge, and Cobra might have given Natsu another good fight if he wasn't a mindless drone this time_ – then turned more worried glances at Lucy, Jellal, and Gray. _None of them are in the best shape. Gods, I wish we had a better idea than the usual Fairy Tail "hit it 'til it drops" plan._

With a grunt, she cast her mind into Siegrain's Archive link. _Which isn't weird at all,_ she mused sarcastically, scowling. "Is anyone up to helping? Erza, Natsu, and I will manage, but the others...they've all taken a beating."

"We'll be fine," Gray insisted, glancing up. He didn't look exactly into her Arc screen, but her brother knew her well enough that his eyes very nearly met hers. "I know how Racer's magic works this time."

"You'll be in an enclosed space, Gray," Ultear pointed out. "You won't be able to get out of range."

"That works both ways," Gray retorted. "I'll be _fine,_ Ultear-nee."

"I wouldn't mind some help..." Lucy groaned. Ultear's heart pounded as she watched Lucy use the wall to brace herself as she walked towards her chamber.

"Juvia...will help...Love Rival..." the water mage panted. Ultear's scowl deepened until she opened another portal to Lockser's location. One eye swollen nearly shut, scars visible through several gashes in her dress, limping badly enough that she could barely walk, Juvia nevertheless staggered towards Nirvana. _Gods. Stalker or no, that woman's spine is pure Adamantine._ Meredy struggled to help her, the diminutive psyche mage fighting to keep Juvia upright.

"No, Juvia," Lisanna replied, "I'll help Lucy." Ultear concentrated, and the portal switched to the youngest Strauss. She, too, was battered and blood-stained, one of her Heaven Soul wings clearly broken. _She's not on the verge of falling over, though._ "You rest."

"Listen to her, Juvia," Ultear added. "None of us are at our best, but Lisanna's a lot less ripped up than you are." Juvia whimpered. "She fought Erigor. You rescued Lucy and Natsu, _then_ fought Midnight. Sit, woman."

"You sound like Mom," Gray chuckled. He flinched and held his ribs, then hid that side by walking near the wall that would conceal it. Ultear ground her teeth and said nothing. _He's not going to stop, no point in arguing,_ she decided. "You heard her, Juvia. Rest."

"Juvia...is glad...that Gray-sama...cares," she breathed, "but Juvia...is also...a Fairy Tail wizard."

The familiar sound of Ice-Make magic echoed around Lockser. Meredy yelped. "I've got her, hon," Ur called. "She's going to be okay." There was a brief pause. "You're going to win, right?"

"I have an ace in the hole, Mom. I'll be fine." Ultear winced the moment the words left her. _I sound like Gray,_ she realized. _His stupid is rubbing off on me._

"I will help my honey," Ichiya called. "Men."

"Th-that's really not necessary," Erza blurted.

Jellal froze. "Kotobuki? What are you doing here?"

"Though you are my foe in the _parfum_ of love, we are allies in this dance we call war," Ichiya said. _For Ichiya, that probably qualifies as an explanation,_ Ultear thought. "I could not stand idly by and let my honey face this evil alone."

"I-I also told Ichiya I'd talk to you about a duel with him once your, um, situation is resolved," Erza admitted. Ultear let herself chuckle. "Ichiya, Wally is already on his way to aid me with his brother. You should help Jellal if you're capable of fighting."

"That's a very nice thought but I can manage thank you," Jellal blurted, eyes saucer-wide. Ultear went from giggling to outright laughing. _I've never heard him talk so fast._

"I believe I would be of more help to either you or young Gray, my honey," Ichiya said. Ultear shook her head and diverted her sixth Arc screen from Lisanna to the _parfum_ master. _Oh, no._

Erza's expression turned flat and stony. "You're still tied up, aren't you?"

Ichiya deflated. "Meeennn..."

_"Dark Rondo!"_ Brain chanted. Ultear gasped and threw up a shield just in time to avoid being swallowed by a wave of screaming shadows. _Makes Porla's Shades look like rainbows by comparison,_ she thought. _I deserved that after letting myself get distracted._ Her Arc shield held, though the toxic green cracks told her a second attack would shatter it.

"Ultear!" Simon, Mom, Gray, and Jellal cried as one.

"I'm fine!" Ultear insisted, darting into the lacrima chamber with a quick Space slide. "Jellal, concentrate on Midnight – Gray, focus on Racer!" She glared at Brain, her personal nightmare smirking at her like the living embodiment of smug. She then let the extra screen vanish, and shifted the other five to hover just at the top edge of her vision.

"But–" several voices objected.

"Brain is _mine!"_ she howled. A tiny part of her curled up in terror in the back of her mind, a small, helpless child cowering before a dark titan. The rest of her was a Fairy Tail wizard. A _furious_ one. "Arc Crash – _Annihilation!"_ She punched the air, and the whole room shattered.

Brain laughed. The lacrima repaired itself and most of the chamber, as Hibiki had warned them. Brain himself was somehow untouched. _No way. Even Brain couldn't have tanked my Annihilation spell._ The figure flickered in place, becoming translucent for an instant. _Thought Projection! Where–_

"Dark Capriccio!" A column of force drove a saber-sharp point into her back, sending Ultear flying. Klodoa cackled as it flew back to its master. Somehow, she managed not to scream, tumbling down to the column holding the huge lacrima sphere. "My sweet Ultear. You have grown even more powerful than you are clever and beautiful." He stood in the passageway to the right of the one she'd entered through, hands behind his back. "A pity your father was unwise enough to interrupt your education."

"My _what?"_ Ultear snarled. She gathered more Arc Crash magic in her palm.

"He's rattling you," Jellal called. _Wait, that's not through Siegrain's Archive,_ Ultear realized. "Deliberately pushing your buttons. Focus, child of Ur."

Ultear let her eyes flicker up briefly. Her Jellal was already confronting Midnight, darting around the growing fury of Spiral Pain. _The Male Voice. I knew it._ She smiled. "Thank you, Jellal. For everything." With Arc of Space, she reached out, feeling every square millimeter of the chamber, into the corridors beyond. _Aha. Another Thought Projection. Nice try, Brain Drain, but you can't fill space with an illusion._ She held up her hand, magic pulled into a tight orb. "Dimension Arc: Replication!" A thousand orb replicas shot out in every direction. The Thought Projection vanished, and Brain went flying back, in the corridor to the left of the one she'd entered from. _Got you!_ Ultear exulted, teleporting to hover over the villain. "Arc Crash: Retribution!" She punched him in the face. _Mavis, that felt good!_

Brain howled. "Dark Delete!" he cried, and dozens of his own spheres shot out. She teleported back into the chamber, but the blasts tracked her. "You will not outwit me, girl," he hissed as Ultear flickered out of the blasts' path with multiple jumps. Only a few remained when they finally caught up with her, but it still felt like being hit by Natsu. _Ow._ The Arc mage rolled with the blast, tumbling to land on her feet.

"Don't worry, Brain Stem," she retorted, flashing her most psychotic smile at him. "This time, I'm going Fairy Tail on your ass. Arc of Space: Domination!" The universe itself pressed on Brain from every direction. He grunted, Darkness Magic flowing around him in a protective sheath. Ultear pushed harder.

Then his mind slipped into Ultear's, and her world began to unravel. "Longing. Rusted. Seventeen," he chanted, and Domination slipped away.

"What – what are you _doing_ to me?" Ultear gasped. "Crash!" she cried, firing a simple blast at Brain. He evaded with an equally straightforward burst of speed.

"Daybreak. Furnace. Nine." Brain dodged her increasingly erratic attacks, his smile growing as her body trembled against her will. "Benign. Homecoming. One." Ultear's legs threatened to give way. Her arms dropped to her sides. _What's happening to me?!_ The Grim Hell of the Bureau, fresh in her mind from Freed's nightmare-trap, threaded through her will in as tight a web as the one that had bound her child's body so many years ago. "Smiling Sun," Brain finished, and that horrific grinning parody of the sky filled her thoughts. Ultear fell to her knees. _No no no no NO!_ "You were too stubborn to imprint commands on, girl," he mocked, striding towards Ultear, "but I can bring you to a halt long enough to complete your education." Brain reached out his hand, and Klodoa appeared in it. _No! Please! Not like this! Not when Fairy Tail needs me!_ "Farewell, Ultear. Dark–"

The world cracked, rippled, and shattered. "Meteor!" Jellal roared, and Brain went flying. A wave of light and kindness washed over her, and whatever hooks her captor had planted in her mind vanished like mist in sunlight. "Ultear. Forgive my intrusion, but I thought a brief intervention was appropriate." He stood before Ultear, leaning over and offering her a hand. Grateful, the Arc wizard accepted it, looked up, and froze.

It was Jellal, but it was also _not_ Jellal. Most of him was hidden in a cloak of his trademark blue, but under that and all the robes, Ultear could see his strength and feel his might. Even their Jellal paled before this titan. He was older, a touch taller, his face tight with an ocean of pain, but the smile was all she needed to see to know that he was the same in every way that mattered. "Thanks, Blue," she breathed, letting him help her up. "Just get that creep out of my head. I'll handle the rest."

"Will you, now?" Brain rumbled, regaining his footing and holding Klodoa at the ready. "Will you take on this Jellal's sins, as his Natsu did when his Dragon Slayer fought my counterpart?" His smile returned as Jellal frowned. "Will you accept him though he murdered his world's Simon?" Ultear's eyes widened, and she glanced at the alien Jellal. He flinched and looked away. _No – it's not true – he can't have –_

"Brain wants you distracted," Jellal reminded her, his magic cleansing her mind of the last of Brain's programming. "I am irrelevant to what you are now. Your Simon is _alive,_ and the monster who tortured you wants to twist him and everyone else you love, forever."

"He's also innocent," Lady Voice cut in from beyond Ultear's dimension. "Jellal was possessed during that incident, but one thing all Jellals apparently share is grasping for guilt not their own."

_Oh!_ Ultear's gaze flickered from old-Jellal, who was grimacing at the air, to Brain, whose smile had vanished again. _OH!_ Raw, untrammeled power surged around her. "You!" she roared. "I have had _enough_ of you screwing with our heads!" She braced herself, letting Brain gather energy around Klodoa's crystal. Just as the Darkness power peaked, Ultear leaped, teleporting in mid-jump. "Ice-Make: Bloom!" she cried, frozen blossoms smashing into Klodoa's jaw-crystal.

The reaction was as explosive as she'd hoped. Molding Magic clashed with Brain's Darkness, the two powers roaring around the mages. The eruption threw the Oracion master across the room like a rag doll, leaving him on the floor in an ungainly heap. Klodoa landed on its master's chest, whimpering and cowering. Ultear tumbled back, landing on a foot, a knee, and a hand. "Three point landing," she noted, chuckling wryly. "Glad Wally didn't see that. He'd think it was dandy."

"Are you all right, Ultear?" old-Jellal asked, watching her with familiar concern.

Ultear nodded. Her eyes flickered to Brain, watching a line disappear from his cheek. She looked at him more closely. _He's missing three lines now, with that one gone,_ she realized. "Yeah, I'm good. A little disappointed that he was so easy, but with all of Fiore at stake I'm not going to complain. What's with his face paint?"

"It's Body Link Magic," old-Jellal explained. "Brain has a deadlier, more powerful personality he calls 'Zero.' He keeps it locked away by linking his five guild mates to him. As they're defeated..."

_Yep. Too easy. I had to say it._ Ultear's eyes flickered across the Arc screens. _Still up, thank Mavis._ Erza and Wally were holding a weeping Hoteye – _Richard,_ she realized sadly – while Jellal cradled a sleeping Midnight. "Wait, why is Midnight a woman now?"

"Hm. It seems your Macbeth is transgender," old-Jellal explained. "Curious. Ours is male, and merely fond of makeup. Another distinction between our worlds." He peered at the remaining images. The other three battles were ongoing. "I thought Natsu would have won by now."

"He'll be fine as long as this place holds still," Ultear said, wincing as Racer pounded an unmoving Gray. "So that's why a supposed speedster uses a motorcycle." She looked over at Lucy's screen. Lisanna was holding a green-haired woman who clutched at her and wept, while Lucy held up Aquarius' key and Angel robotically summoned Scorpio. Even possessed, Angel's eyes kept flickering to the younger Strauss sister and her divine wings. "What is Lucy doing?"

"At a guess, learning," old-Jellal answered. Both of their attentions went to Natsu's screen, which was suddenly filled with flame and echoes of a stone-cracking roar. "As is Natsu. Cobra's hearing is magically acute, but that has drawbacks of its own." A fourth line vanished from Brain's features as Cobra fell. "Are you sure you only wish me to aid you with his programming? That is something our Ultear never faced."

"Really?" Ultear blinked at him, then turned her attention to the fallen Brain. "So you know my counterpart. Did she want revenge? For Simon?"

"She never met him," old-Jellal replied, but he looked away and his voice cracked. "We're friends. She rescued me, and now I help her in a guild of our own." Ultear nearly laughed again. _Oh, Jellal. You're so bad at this. You can't even lie by telling the truth, but you can have your secrets. If I'm right, we owe you everything._ He hid his expression under the cloak's hood. "Ready yourself, Ultear. Zero will awaken when the last Prayer falls, and he is considerably more powerful than Brain."

"Is my head clear?" Ultear asked. Old-Jellal nodded. "Thanks. Go help the others. Please." Old-Jellal sighed – exactly like their Jellal – and vanished in a burst of Meteor speed.

Gray filled his entire chamber with ice just in that moment. Racer dodged back, but Jellal shoved him into the expanding field of Make-Magic just enough to catch the Prayer in the spell. She felt old-Jellal use the magic he'd freed her with on Racer. A fifth line vanished from Brain's face. Ultear crouched, Crash magic swirling around one hand, Space magic around the other.

Lucy combined Aquarius' water with Scorpio's sand to send Angel flying through the chamber – though in typical Aquarius fashion, Lucy ended up flying right alongside her. Old-Jellal caught Lucy in mid-plunge, only cushioning Angel's fall a fraction with telekinesis. He righted the summoner, both wizards pausing to gawk at Aquarius and Scorpio canoodling in a corridor entrance, then freed Angel from Brain's control and raced onward.

The last line vanished from Brain's Body Link Magic. He began to glow the deep, sickly green of his magic. "Oh no!" Klodoa wailed. "This is bad!" Ultear briefly gaped at old-Jellal doing something to Cobra's snake partner, only to see the winged serpent turn into a _human woman._ The Arc wizard shook her head. _No time to worry about that. Brain's about to–_

The remaining markings flared with golden light, enveloping Brain completely. When the flash faded, Brain's eyes opened – having turned blood red. The floor and nearest wall exploded away from him, and Brain – _Zero_ – stood, only his clothes showing the damage from the previous battle. "Welcome back, Master Zero!" Klodoa groveled, bowing deeply enough that its "face" scraped the ground.

"Klodoa. It seems that this battle has become interesting. Even that bizarre Midnight was defeated?" Zero asked, sounding utterly unconcerned.

Klodoa was _very_ concerned. "I-I apologize completely!" he pleaded.

"Excuse me," Ultear cut in, grimacing. Zero turned, smiling at her. _It's not worse than Brain's smile,_ Ultear thought, _but it's just as vicious in its own way._ She met his inhuman gaze. _This isn't the curiosity of the scientist without inhibition. This is a wolf sizing up a cat._ She braced herself. _Time to be a lioness, then._ "I am your opponent."

Zero chuckled. "Oh? Do you want revenge, little guinea pig?" Ultear shuddered at the stomach-twisting magic Zero gathered in one palm. "Do you want to destroy my Prayers? Why are you here, brat?"

"You kidnapped my best friend," she hissed back, "and a child who's like a sister to me. You torture my friends, enslave your own guild, tear my family apart, twist our hearts inside out, drag me back into the Grim you kept me in as a girl, and you _dare_ to ask me that!" Ultear barely noticed the floor coming apart beneath her from the sheer fury of her aura. "I want an end to you, Brain! I'm here to make sure you _never hurt anyone again!"_

"Admirable," he replied, smile growing to mad width, "but Brain _has_ ended. I. AM. ZERO!" He held up his palm. "Zero Slash!" A whip of Darkness Magic lashed out at Ultear, burning the air itself as it went.

Ultear flickered through space behind Zero, diving towards him. "Arc Crash: Retribution!" Her punch send Zero flying, but she felt something wrong the moment the blast faded. _He rolled with it. What's Zero up to–_

Zero raised his hand for a chop, but he was too far away to strike her. _What spell is this?_ Ultear wondered, only to be answered by, "Dark Gravity!" Three floors below her all shattered, and the whole world above seemed to slam her down through them.

The bottom level cracked, and a gaping wound in the floor revealed Earthland sprawled out far below her. _No!_ She used raw force and will to right herself, then teleported right in Zero's face. The look of shock and disbelief was worth all the terror Brain's mind control had inflicted. "Arc Crash: Annihilation!" Ultear roared.

Zero smashed through several walls, disappearing into the heart of Nirvana. Ultear leaned on her knees, catching her breath in deep gulps. _Okay. That's more like it. I've still got a little time before–_

"Dark Capriccio _Scream!"_ Zero snarled, and a column of Darkness Magic thicker than Ichiya howled towards her. _Oh crap!_ Ultear teleported out of the way, but the jet of piercing force followed her. "Fall to nothingness!" Zero laughed.

"Arc Crash: Neutralization!" Ultear cried, punching at the deadly spell. A mix of her father's raw power, Jellal's Wave expertise, and her own Arc of Space spiraled into Zero's attack, unraveling it just as it reached her. The blow sent her sliding back, but left her with nothing more than a slice along her abdomen. She gasped at the effort, barely staying upright while Zero floated down towards her. "Fairy Tail wizards may die, but we'll never be 'nothing' as long as the bonds of our guild live on!"

Zero laughed. "Brain told you about that other Jellal...but he didn't mention what happened to you, did he?" Ultear bared her teeth at the monster, while the Prayers' guild master folded his arms in supreme confidence. "Jellal _was_ innocent, of course. It was _you."_

Ultear froze, eyes so wide they hurt. Old nightmares tore their way to the surface, memories of a life not hers – a life that _could_ have been hers, _would_ have been hers if so many hadn't fought to save her. "You possessed the boy, for eight years. You twisted him into the monster that 'betrayed' Erza. _You murdered Simon,"_ Zero mocked, bringing his hands together. "You were that other Brain's greatest creation – too powerful and twisted even for the Oracion Seis." Magic so corrupt and cruel it made Ultear sick to be near it gathered before Zero's palms. Shades that made Porla's seem like angels boiled in the darkness. "You could have destroyed so much. It was _beautiful._ Such a pity you must now descend into the void, but before me, history itself ends." He folded one arm behind his back, thrusting the other hand forward and pointing at her with two fingers. "Farewell. _Genesis Zero!"_

For a few seconds, all Ultear could do was watch as the spell reached for her, devouring the very reality between them. _I...I..._ She closed her eyes, bracing for the end.

**Music Cue: Dragon Force**

One memory replaced all her nightmares: _Simon, smiling, holding her hand as they watched the sun rise._ Something precious snapped back into place. Without a word, Ultear held out her palm and _focused._ Genesis Zero stopped cold, howling impotently against her unbridled power. "Jellal is my best friend. Erza is his love. And Simon...Simon is _mine!"_ She gathered more magic than she'd ever known, a spell long out of reach coming to hand at last. Zero recoiled, jaw slack with disbelief. All of Nirvana shuddered in the wake of her might. "I am the daughter of Ur and Gildarts! I am a Fairy Tail wizard! The only things I destroy are my guild's enemies! And you – are – done! _ICE CRASH: EMPYREAN ROSE!"_

Genesis Zero froze and shattered. With Empyrean Rose still annihilating magic around her fist, Ultear leaped at the Dark Mage, flying punch driving him through the ceiling and two more above it. _Time's almost up – gotta hit two birds with one spell!_ With a last burst of power, she drove Zero straight through the giant lacrima just as her family took care of the other five.

Together, the wizard-foes fell, Zero's eyes blank and unseeing, hers filled with tears of joy. _I don't know you, world-sister,_ she thought as loudly as she was able, _but if your Jellal is your friend, then you gave me Fairy Tail. You saved me from Brain – twice. THANK YOU._

All of Nirvana trembled, and the ancient city began to collapse. Floors came apart beneath her. Magic spent, it was all she could do to avoid collapsing walls. "Yipe! Time to go!"

Siegrain darted to her side, already carrying Jellal and Midnight. "Indeed," he said, catching Ultear and Zero in the same telekinetic grasp he held the other two in.

It was a desperate race to the surface, with an entire city trying to crush them, but enough wizards had regained their strength that there was more help than danger. Ur, Simon, and Cana were at their side in moments, Ice-Make and Card Magic shielding them from debris as her beloved sped them off through misty shadows. Lyon and Meredy carried Gray and Racer away from the collapse on Lyon's Snow Dragon while Juvia swirled around them, ignoring her wounds and exhaustion. Millianna and Jura had gone to aid Erza, Wally, and Richard. Mirajane, Elfman, Wendy, and Carla were helping Lucy and Lisanna with their respective rescues, smashing falling buildings and carrying the Celestial Spirit Mages through the storm. Happy and old-Jellal had Natsu, Cobra, and the girl who'd been a snake minutes before.

Nirvana's ruins settled before they did, but they all landed relatively whole and safe. Before she knew what was happening, the entire field was obscured by a mass of Fairy Tail mages throwing their arms around each other. Ultear herself was quickly buried in a three-way hug of mother, sister, and beloved. _I'm free,_ she realized. _I'm free, and I'm home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOTATION: Brain's mind control chant that begins with "Longing. Rusted. Seventeen," comes from Captain America: Civil War, with only the last word/phrase in the sequence being different ("Smiling Sun" being appropriate to Ultear's past).


	63. Vol. 14, Ch. 1

**Volume Fourteen: Homecoming**

Earthland-2, Worth Woodsea, X784: Lucy

_Wow. I never realized how many friends Fairy Tail really has._ Lucy smiled at Sherry and Yuka chatting with Ren and Eve, while Karen bowed to a shocked (and two sizes too big) Ichiya. Next she noticed Dyst talking with Wendy on the edge of the clearing. Dyst pointed out Jellal, and Wendy giggled. The boy facepalmed, and Lucy couldn't help a chuckle of her own. _That coat, the hair, the Mental Magic – someone wants to be the Starburst when he grows up,_ she thought.

That thought drew her attention to their ostensible prisoners, though only Brain-Zero-LaPointe _(or whatever his name really is,_ Lucy mused) was restrained. Wally and Richard had retreated to the far end of the clearing, talking and watching the stars come out. The other four Prayers were standing guard over their former master, the newly-reshaped Midnight glaring at her "father" with palpable fury. Cobra sat next to his former snake partner, now a gentle woman clad only in Jellal-1's cloak. _I guess Jellal's gallant in any world,_ she thought, glancing around. Jellal-1 was already gone. She sighed at the number of missing friends. _Porlyusica's going to be busy for a while._

"Are you okay?" Ultear asked. Lucy barely stopped herself from jumping out of her shoes, slumping in relief at the sight of the ragged Space mage. "My Arc screens don't show me everything, but it looked like you had the worst of our fights."

"Besides you," Lucy whispered. "Fighting Brain twice – _alone_ – I can't even imagine it."

Ultear's smile was unlike any Lucy had seen from her before. _The pain – it's not gone, but...I guess it doesn't matter so much now,_ Lucy decided. "I never fight alone. I'm a Fairy Tail wizard." She leaned on the outcropping next to the Celestial mage. "You were the only one rescuing a hostage. On top of that was, well, Aquarius." Lucy shuddered. Ultear chuckled. "Yeah."

"I'm just glad Jellal-1 was there," Lucy replied. "I think I would've won anyway – Angel was fighting Brain's control – but that landing would've hurt a lot more. It's a good thing Lisanna showed up when she did. Not to mention – I can't believe I'm saying this – Siegrain." She glanced over at Juvia, who stared as adoringly at Gray as ever. "Juvia rescued me too. Natsu and I went over a waterfall after Angel's copy blew up." She looked down, eyes drooping half-closed. "It feels like someone was always saving me."

"I know how you feel," Ultear replied. "It feels like someone's been protecting me ever since Dad rescued me from the Bureau." She blinked. "Why Jellal One?"

Lucy shrugged. "Our Jellal says that two of the Three Voices are you and the other Jellal," she explained, "and they've been able to help because they're from farther ahead than us. So I figured their world came first. Earthland-1."

"Like something from one of Jellal's hero manga," Ultear laughed. "Ours must love that."

"Is this what they call love at first sight?!" Lyon blurted, and Lucy turned to find the Ice God Slayer standing right in front of Juvia, holding her hand in both of his and gazing into her eyes. Lucy's jaw went slack. _That's the Cold Emperor of Phantom Lord?_ she wondered.

"W-we were in the same guild for six years!" Juvia stammered, eyes flickering from Gray to Lyon. The white-haired wizard's love-struck expression never changed.

Gray was beside Ultear before Lucy had noticed him moving. "I can already tell this is going to get complicated," he swallowed, not quite hiding behind his big sister. Ultear laughed again. Lucy couldn't help but join in.

Her laughter faded at the sight of Jellal approaching his brother. Siegrain had found a quiet spot away from everyone else, arms folded, staring at the earth. She tapped Ultear's shoulder and pointed in their direction. Ultear's smile vanished, and she snorted. "Shouldn't one of us be with Jellal right now?" Lucy asked. Ultear nodded towards Titania, who was headed towards the brothers. _"Besides_ Erza, Ultear," she added, grimacing.

"It's your funeral, Goldie," Ultear replied, shaking her head.

_When did that become my nickname?_ Lucy thought, feeling grumpy, but walked (just a _teeny_ bit unsteadily, really) towards Erza and Jellal. "Hey, Sieg," Jellal said, leaning on the stone beside his brother. Siegrain glanced away. "It just hit me that I hadn't thanked you yet. You really came through with Nirvana and the Oracion Fakes." Erza smiled.

"Jellal...Erza..." Siegrain shook his head and looked down again. "No...you have nothing to thank me for."

"Have your memories returned?" Erza asked, hands clasped behind her. _She really is fearless,_ Lucy thought, watching Titania talk to Shou's killer without flinching.

"A few," Siegrain admitted. "Training with Brain and Daphne. The manor. Alphonse." He swallowed. "The Tower. Shou." The former Councillor's hands both clenched into fists. "I understand if you hate me." Jellal deflated. "I'm scared," Siegrain blurted, shivering.

"Scared?" Erza and Jellal asked, in almost the exact same voice.

"If the rest of my memories return...will my hatred come back with them?" Siegrain's eyes vanished beneath a curtain of hair as he bowed his head. "Will yours?"

"We don't hate you, Sieg," Jellal insisted. "This situation – it's complicated. I understand that."

All at once, Erza smiled. "We're with you." Siegrain's eyes shot open, and he stared at Erza, mouth falling open. "Even with our friends from beyond this world, we cannot control the future. Today, you are the good man Jellal has always known you could be. No matter what happens tomorrow, that will not change the good you've done, or the lives you saved."

Siegrain's eyes danced away again. "Erza...Jellal..."

"MEEEN!" Ichiya cried, and Lucy slapped her forehead. _Leave it to Captain Parfum to ruin a touching moment,_ she thought, teeth clenched.

"What's the matter?" Gray asked, and Lucy looked up to find Ichiya pressed against an invisible wall. _Or maybe this is serious after all!_ Lucy thought, trying not to panic.

"I was about to relieve myself of some excess _parfum_ in the bushes when I ran into something!" Ichiya wailed, his hips twisting in desperation.

"These are runes of some kind," Dyst added, pointing out the purple symbols on the ground. "They're generating a magical barrier."

"They're not Freed's," Bickslow called over, his guild-marked tongue lolling out in its usual manner. "He's still out cold after his run-in with Night-Night."

"Out cold! Out cold!" Bickslow's "babies" echoed, orbiting the Seith wizard.

Jellal strode over, dropping to one knee just behind the force wall. "These look familiar. My memory's not completely restored, but I can picture a cross with a loop at the top. An ankh!"

That, of course, was when Lucy heard the march of boots and hoofbeats. "Not again," she groaned. The Phoenix Grave team looked at Fairy Tail with uncertainty, but Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus caught the mood and warily watched the road before them. Every Fairy Tail wizard with an Edeas of energy left scraped together their magic. Erza, Simon, Ultear, Natsu, and Gray had gathered around Jellal before Lucy realized they were moving. "Guys? Come on, we've been able to not fight the Rune Knights so far, right?"

"That was before they tortured Jellal," Gray whispered, Cold Excalibur already to hand. The world rippled around Ultear like heat distortion. Natsu's fists burned with a tight sheath of flame. Simon's hands and feet were completely shrouded in darkness. Erza summoned only her basic chest plate and sword, but the blade quivered in her hand. Lucy took a breath to argue again...then saw Jellal wince trying to do the same, clutching at an electric burn along his abdomen. Quietly, she palmed the Aries key Karen had given her. _Better safe than sorry._

Captain Lahar arrived with, predictably, an enormous Rune Knight force. _At least that makes sense this time,_ Lucy thought. _Considering how many Dark Mages we knocked out, they're going to need the troops._ She kept Aries' key gripped tightly in her hand. "If everyone will kindly remain calm," Lahar said, adjusting his glasses. "We are here on behalf of the Reformed Magic Council."

Lucy gasped – _already?_ – while Jellal stepped forward. "Finally," he replied, circling around Gray before the ice mage could stop him. "Though I suppose we should be grateful that the bureaucracy moved as quickly as it did. I take it you're here for me?"

"And your brother," Lahar agreed, but Erza darted in front of Jellal again, her hand gripped inescapably around his wrist. The Starburst grimaced, but Simon put one beefy hand on Jellal's shoulder before he could do anything else. Gray hefted Cold Excaibur, eyes locked onto the Knight-Captain, while Natsu stepped in front of _Siegrain_  of all people. "As Fairy Tail and its allies have apprehended the Oracion Seis, we will of course collect them as well," Lahar continued; his only reaction to the menacing response was narrowing his eyes at Erza. "Given the Magic Council's absence during the assault on your members, the Reformed Council has voted to...overlook the situation regarding the Interguild Dispute Interdiction Treaty. If there is no further trouble, of course." Erza trembled. So did Lucy. _I'm pretty sure she's not shaking for the same reason I am, though!_

"Wait!" Siegrain cried, throwing up his hands and waving as he rushed past Natsu. The Dragon Slayer yelped and ran after him. "What if you had proof of Jellal's innocence?"

Lahar turned his cool gaze on the former Councilor. "Precisely what proof did you have in mind, ex-Councilor? Or do you intend to confess?"

"I do," Siegrain replied. Jellal and Erza gasped, the Starburst taking a step towards his brother before being stopped by Titania's inescapable grip. Lucy glanced at Erza; the redhead didn't seem to realize she was still holding onto him. "I framed Jellal, betrayed the Council, set up Fairy Tail, destroyed Etherion...it was me. All of it." He held out one palm, an image of the Tower beginning to form above it.

"Siegrain, stop!" Jellal cried, tugging against Erza's grip. That got her attention, and she let him go in surprise. Jellal stumbled in a rush to his brother's side, grabbing one shoulder. Siegrain's Tower-image vanished. "Sieg, your amnesia – you don't remember everything – right now, you're not the person who did all that!"

"Per Clause 13 of the criminal code, that is not a valid defense," Lahar intoned. Deep crimson flames flickered around Natsu, circling him as the Dragon Slayer snarled. "I presume this means you do not intend to resist, Siegrain?"

"Correct," the former Wizard Saint agreed. "I surrender."

"No!" Natsu roared. "You fought with us – joined us – we won't let you!" Jellal said nothing, but held onto Siegrain more tightly.

Siegrain turned, slipping out of Jellal's grip, and bowed to the Starburst and Dragon Slayer. "Please," he insisted. The flames around Natsu died. Jellal shivered. "I have cause you all so much pain. Done so much wrong, even if I don't remember it. _Please let me do this."_

Jellal squeezed his eyes shut, head dropping. "Natsu. Let him go."

"But–" Natsu objected.

"This is no different from leaving Brain to Ultear, or staying out of your fight with Gajeel," Jellal explained. Natsu huffed and crossed his arms. "It's something we have to let him do – let _them_ do." He glanced over at the Oracion Seis. Lucy's jaw tightened, eyes brimming with tears. _It's – it's not fair,_ she thought, shaking.

"Brain only controlled us at the end," Midnight added, the serenity of her smile amazing Lucy. "Even if Fairy Tail has awakened us to justice, that does not erase our past sins."

"We want to start over," Cobra agreed, nodding.

Hoteye smiled at Wally, then stepped towards the Rune Knights. "This way, we can hold our heads high when next we see those we love," he finished. Wally reached out for his brother, then nodded as he let his arm drop. The blocky wizard's hat hid Wally's eyes, but not the tears trickling down his cheeks. Angel took a deep breath, glanced at Lisanna again, and nodded at her guildmate. Brain squirmed in his bonds, but Racer darted over to him and glared before the villain could move two inches.

"You may dispel the runes now," Lahar ordered. He watched the allies as Siegrain and the Oracion Seis handed themselves over to the Rune Knights. Natsu still blazed, but didn't interfere. Ichiya dashed into the bushes.

Siegrain was the last prisoner placed in a prison cart. Just before he stepped onto the ramp, he stopped, blinking, and looked at the Starburst. "Jellal? We're...we're still brothers, aren't we?"

Jellal's eyes widened, and he smiled past a renewed stream of tears. "Always." Erza hugged the Starburst as Siegrain walked into his cell with a smile on his face. _I hope you're right, Jellal,_ Lucy thought. _I hope you're right..._


	64. Vol. 14, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X784: Jellal

"Today we're having a celebration!" Master Makarov cried, leaping into the air. "A party to welcome Jellal-kun home! Live it up! _Live it up!"_ The whole guild cheered in gleeful response.

_Oh dear,_ Jellal thought, unable to suppress a smile as Fairy Tail obeyed its Master with gusto. The smile wavered as he thought of the vanished Roubaul, but then Erza wrapped her arm firmly around his. They sat together at the bar while the gang ate, drank, fought, and made merry. Jellal's smile slipped again when Juvia almost literally wrapped herself around a distressed Gray, but Ultear froze the former Phantom's feet to the floor, and their old friend made his escape.

Natsu laughed and posed, one fist in the air, while Bickslow twitched on the floor where the Dragon Slayer had left him. Cana laughed and drank from – _a barrel?_ Jellal gaped. _Mavis! When did that start?_ Happy cheered for Natsu while Evergreen thumped Bickslow's helmet with her fan. Levy went behind the bar to bring Lucy her clothes, which the blonde had somehow lost. His smile broadened when he saw Alzack and Bisca holding hands, both of them blushing in very familiar ways. "Erza, are they–"

"Yes," Titania gushed. "At least one good thing came from your captivity. Seeing the Rune Knights separate us made them realize how precious their time together is." Jellal nodded.

Mira came over with a strawberry shake for Erza and a chocolate one for him. "Hey, you two," she smiled, serving them and blocking a flying rolled-up newspaper with her tray. "Still have feeling in that arm, Jellal?" she joked.

Jellal chuckled, even as Erza let him go as if he were hot iron. "I'm fine, Mira," he insisted. "It's good to be home." A moment's pain shot through his head, and both women stopped smiling. _Nuts. Must've winced._ "Still feeling my captivity a little, but being in the guild hall, wearing my own clothes, eating real food – I've learned to appreciate it all after Black Vox."

Erza's fist slammed into the table. "A lesson you _did not need._ No one appreciates simple joys more than you. The Council will answer for this!"

"Erza," Jellal sighed, placing his hand on hers. "Please, let it go. We've proved my innocence, and if we're going to help the Prayers and Siegrain, it'd be best not to antagonize the Councilors."

"You have to take care of yourself too, Jellal," Mira insisted. "Look at how happy everyone is to have you home."

"'Never consider your own life to be insignificant,'" Erza quoted.

Jellal laughed and held up his free hand in surrender. "Okay, okay, you win," he conceded. "I'm not going anywhere for at least a week anyway, Porlyusica's orders."

Then a mug of ale smacked him in the face. The entire guild froze, Erza gaping at Jellal, the rest of the mages looking at Erza in terror. Nab was tiptoeing away, but with everyone else frozen, it only meant Titania spotted him with ease. "You!" she roared, and before Jellal could move, Nab was face-first on the floor, Erza's boot on his back. She'd already requipped into her Black Wing Armor. Happy was playing Taps on a bugle Jellal hadn't seen before, while Wendy and Lisanna tried to hold Erza back. "How dare you endanger Jellal when he is still recovering from–"

"It's all right, Erza," the Starburst insisted, wiping his face with a towel provided from nowhere by Mira. "I'll just change clothes and be right back." He waved, the party raging around him as he threaded through the rowdy hall. Erza glanced away, then booted Nab across the hall while Ur chuckled and Lucy emerged from hiding, fully dressed once more. He stepped outside–

– and Gajeel was there, body sheathed in iron scales, leaning against a lamp post and smiling at him, eyes glinting as he laughed "Gee hee!" –

– Ultear's reluctantly-generated image of Team Shadow Gear filled his thoughts, Jellal trembling at the sight of his heart-sister battered, marked with Phantom's icon, and pinned to a tree –

– _the Tower guards laughed, Jellal howling as three of them held him down so two more could kick a weeping Millianna –_

_"METEOR!"_ Jellal screamed. Gajeel's smile vanished, but the Phantom brute had no time for any other reaction before the Starburst slammed into him, fist buried in Black Steel's gut. Jellal ended up pummeling him all the way to the edge of Magnolia. "What are you doing back here, thug?!"

Gajeel groaned, pulled himself out from the ground, pushed aside the tree he'd been knocked under, and stood. His madman's grin returned. "Looking for a good fight. Gee hee!"

Jellal's fist shook, and his aura erupted in a column of raw power. "I've tried to restrain my power," he whispered, distantly wondering if Gajeel could even hear him over the blaze of Meteor's rage. "I've worked so hard for patience and serenity. But you know what? If you want a fight with Fairy Tail so badly, _I'll give you one."_ He held one hand over his chest. _This is for you, Levy._ The Iron Dragon Slayer's smile vanished again at the sight of the five pointed star forming in front of Jellal. A magic seal formed at the lower left point. "Ever read One Piece, Redfox?"

"Never heard of it," he replied.

"Pity. You might have been ready for this if you had." Jellal formed another seal at the center-right point. "Second - _Gear!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOTATION: Yes, they have One Piece on Earthland-2. :-)


	65. Vol. 14, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, Magnolia Outskirts, X784: Gajeel

_This may not have been my best idea ever,_ Gajeel decided.

Jellal had been too fast to keep track of when he used Meteor to smack him all the way across town. This "Second Gear" spell at least doubled his speed, and Gajeel felt like he was being pounded by a dozen Natsus at once. _This is Gentle Jellal? Natsu actually_ wants _to fight this monster?_ "Iron Dragon Club!" the Dragon Slayer chanted, and he shot out his piledriver strike. Unsurprised that he missed, Gajeel sent out a dozen more columns from his forearm. Jellal ignored him, continuing his relentless super-speed assault. _Crap! He's pounding me flat! No wonder this guy was able to beat Master Jose!_ He curled up, turning all four limbs into clubs. _There. At least I can breathe enough for this._ "Iron Dragon - ROAR!" he cried, and the blast swirled around him.

Jellal had finally come to a halt, standing about three meters in front of Gajeel. _Must've knocked him out of the sky – the GRIM?!_ The Shield of Fiore stood there, glaring with a flat, unimpressed expression, having stopped Gajeel's roar with a single raised palm. "You want to fight me, thug?" Jellal slashed his hand through the air, and the swirling wind and debris halted in an instant. His eyes narrowed. "You won't be ready in a hundred years."

Gajeel's eyes glowed red, and his fear vanished in a wave of outrage. "Don't take me lightly, pretty boy! Iron Dragon Sword!" His arm became the whirling blade that was his deadliest weapon. "You think you can handle this?" He pointed the howling blade at Jellal. _Don't want to hit him with it, though. I want to get one up on Natsu, not hurt the guy who took a hit for my guild._ He blinked. _Huh. "My guild." I really am a Fairy Tail wizard. Looks like you had my number after all, Gramps._

Jellal snorted and gave Gajeel the "bring it" wave. Gajeel blinked. _On the other hand, I'm not gonna disrespect him either._ His grin returned. "You want it? You got it. Gee hee!" He leaped, Dragon Sword screaming through the air. He swung at Jellal's left arm, hoping to end the fight with a single blow.

Jellal _caught_ the blade between his thumb and forefinger, bringing the saw-sword to a halt without so much as budging. Gajeel's eyes bulged. _Zen and all the gods! What is this guy?_ The Starburst's eyes narrowed. "You hurt Levy," he whispered.

_Uh oh._ Gajeel swallowed. Juvia had narrated Jellal's fight with Porla to the Iron Dragon Slayer, as described to her by an adoring Mirajane. _"You. Hurt. Erza." Immediately followed by cosmic annihilation._ He'd thought the She-Demon had exaggerated Fernandes' might, but now... _This guy's as powerful as that monster Laxus. Maybe I should pack it in._ He sniffed at the air, nostrils flaring at the scent of Jellal's rage. _He's been bottling that up forever._ Gajeel bit back a sigh. _Can't let him see what I'm doing. Ah, Grim, I wanted to fight him_ _anyway, and I've wanted to give something back to Fairy Tail. Blue Guy could use a good throwdown._ "Really? Hadn't heard," Gajeel retorted. "Karma Demon: Iron God Sword!" The blade wasn't nearly what he could make at full strength – it was hardly fifteen feet long – but it was enough to get the attention of even an S-Class wizard. He swung down with all his remaining power.

Jellal caught that strike as well. It took both his hands and sunk his feet into the ground, but the Starburst stopped it. _Crap. This is gonna hurt._ "Impressive," Jellal said, his voice cold and flat, "but this contest is over." He threw the sword aside and brought his hands together, two fingers up and five down. _Yep. Definitely gonna hurt._ "Be judged by the Seven Stars: Grand Chariot!"

Gajeel looked up, and saw the symbol floating in the air. It glowed with a golden fury that brimmed on the edge of release. _He must've drawn that earlier, and was just waiting in case he needed to use it–_

The power slammed Gajeel face-first into the ground, raining punishment on him for several seconds. _Ow._ He tried to stand, but could do little more than twitch. _Like a Zen-damned bug. This is embarrassing._ Jellal grabbed him by the back of his coat and tossed him into the air with casual ease, catching him by the collar's front several feet off the ground. The Starburst's eyes were blazing suns, and his free hand coursed with a star's power. "You. Hurt. Levy."

_Oh crap!_ "Give," Gajeel croaked. "I give. I yield. No more."

Jellal's eyes narrowed. "Smart." He pulled Gajeel nose-to-nose with him. Gajeel felt his iron scales fade back into the ether. "If you ever hurt one of my friends again, I will make this battle feel like a soft breeze. Do you understand?"

"Uh-huh," Gajeel breathed. "One question." Jellal raised an eyebrow. "What idiot named you 'Gentle Jellal?'"

Jellal blinked. Then he laughed, floating back to earth. "No idea. Some Sorcerer Weekly hack, probably." He tossed Gajeel aside, and it took everything the Dragon Slayer had to not collapse again. _Left shoulder's on the ground. Great._ He tried to expose his guild mark, but it took all his strength to not chew on dirt. "Leave Magnolia. If you're ever hired for a mission here, make sure I know." He stood between Gajeel and the sun, and all the Iron Slayer could see was a human-shaped void with glowing red discs for eyes. _So that's what that's like,_ he decided. "You don't want me to think you're here for Levy again, do y-"

"Jellal, stop!" Levy cried, running up with Droy. Jet zipped beside Jellal, warily watching the Iron Dragon Slayer. Erza floated behind them, grinning. Natsu ran up behind her. "Gajeel, don't hurt – Zen, what happened?!"

"Your big brother is a monster," Gajeel breathed, "that's what happened."

Levy turned on Jellal, the Starburst's eyes widening at her angry pout. "What's wrong with you?" she demanded. Jellal raised his hands and stepped back, looking from bookworm to Dragon Slayer and back..

"Whoa, not his fault," Gajeel explained, wheezing as Droy helped him stand. _Huh. Plant guy's got stones._ "Thanks, Fishtail," he said. Droy scowled. Gajeel grinned at him. "Gee hee. I hid my guild mark under my scales. Picked a fight with him."

"Hid your what?" Jellal demanded. Gajeel pivoted in Droy's grip, finally able to show off his mark. The Starburst facepalmed. "Are you insane? I could have hurt you!"

"Yeah, but now I've got one up on Flame Breath," Gajeel replied, grinning at Salamander. "See? Getting a fight with him wasn't so hard."

Natsu's jaw dropped. "Ai-YAH! That's not fair!" he cried, stamping his feet. Gajeel laughed for half a second, before his ribs, abs, arms, and jaw all screamed at him at once. He clenched up, leaning more heavily on Droy than he wanted. _Ow ow ow. And oh yeah, OW. Why the Grim isn't he a Wizard Saint?_

"Gajeel, you idiot!" Levy blurted, glaring at the Iron Dragon Slayer. Gajeel's smile vanished. "Wasn't Laxus enough? There's a reason Jellal doesn't fight nakama!"

"Tell me about it. He was so fast, even my dragon senses couldn't track him. Then he tanked my most powerful attacks just to prove he _could."_ Erza laughed outright while Jellal sighed and looked away. "Relax, Shorty. I ain't doin' that again for a long time. I didn't believe he could beat Porla if they were both fresh. Now I know better."

"He's our miracle," Erza said, chuckling again. Jellal blushed from scalp to throat. _Heh. He even smells embarrassed,_ Gajeel realized. "I assure you, his victory over Master Jose was very real. As impressive as Lisanna has become, Jellal had fought one of the Seven Kin before facing him. If anyone had the advantage, it was Porla."

Jellal took a breath, but Natsu leaped in before anyone else could react. "Come on, Jellal, now you _gotta_ fight me!"

Gajeel laughed, this time ignoring his body's many complaints. _"So_ worth it."

"He's a Fairy Tail wizard, all right," Jellal muttered, shaking his head. "Come on. Let's go find Wendy while his bruises are fresh."

Gajeel's laughter died instantly. Something conjured a hard lump in his throat. "Fernandes." Jellal turned back to him, one blue eyebrow raised. "You...you consider me a guild mate? 'Nakama?'"

Jellal snorted. "Levy's right. You are an idiot." He waved at the guild mark. "That means family. Haven't you figured that out by now?"

"I just picked a fight with you," Gajeel noted. "While you're still wrecked."

"It's a day ending in 'Y,' then," Jellal quipped. "Also, you held back until you saw what I could do. I was too angry to see it during the fight, but now – hey, what was that about Laxus?"

"Nothing," Gajeel blurted. Jellal's eyebrow climbed again. _Crap. When did I become so useless at lying?_

"When Laxus came back," Levy explained, "he was angry at Shadow Gear for losing to Gajeel. He fired a blast at me, but Gajeel took the hit. While he was already a mess from Laxus attacking him straight on."

_Zen damn it, Levy,_ Gajeel thought, sagging against Fishtail. Droy turned a worried look toward him, but all Gajeel could do was shrug. _It's already too late._ The blood had drained from Blue's face, and his eyes were wide with a horror Gajeel had come to know too well. "Laxus attacked you, Levy? _Laxus?"_

Levy finally got it, hands flying to her mouth. "Jellal, that's not – it's okay, it's over," she insisted.

Blue nodded, but he was still pale and shaking. "Let's – let's just go back to the hall," he sighed. Erza was immediately at his side, one arm around his waist. _Zen, he beat the crap out of me that easy when he's this much of a mess? Who is this guy?_ Then Jellal smiled again and glanced at Salamander. "Oh, and Natsu? You're right. I'll fight you once I'm better."

Natsu smiled that infuriating, biology-defying smile of his and punched the air. "Aye SIR!" he cheered. Gajeel sighed again. _Aw crap. I didn't even get that._


	66. Vol. 14, Ch. 4

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X784: Erza

Erza savored the forkful of strawberry cake Mira had brought her. _Mmm. I needed this._ She glanced at Jellal, who no longer twitched when he moved the wrong muscle. _He's almost back to normal. One more day, I think. Just like Porlyusica said._ She chuckled at sight of Gajeel, dressed as a butler, appearing at Jellal's side with the Starburst's dinner. Half the guild laughed when Jellal gaped, as he had every time the Dragon Slayer had done this for the last week. _Gajeel really is overdoing it._ She glanced at Levy out of the corner of her eye, where the diminutive scholar was hiding a blush behind an enormous tome. _Unless he has another reason, of course._ Jellal nodded in thanks to the Dragon Slayer, who retreated with a "Gee hee" and a bow. _I'm pretty sure Alphonse never laughs like that._

She took the remains of her cake to Jellal's side, where he was once again poring over an old book for research. This time, his chosen subject was _A Brief History of Dragons._ She peered more closely. "Helping our Dragon Slayers this time?" she asked.

"Mm," he nodded, twirling one finger in the air. A piece of red chalk flew overhead and started work on a magic symbol. "Gray's been looking into some rumors about a woman who's seen a dragon. We don't want to get their hopes up." He glanced at the Iron Dragon Slayer. "Gajeel already knows. He's extremely skeptical, and since I'm under strict instructions to remain at the hall until I've recovered," Jellal continued, smiling at her, "I thought I'd do what I could to discern fact from fiction."

"Found anything yet?" she asked, then resumed her assault on her cake.

Jellal's jaw tightened. "Most of what is recorded about the Dragon King Festival is more legend than history. Indeed, I would say that 'festival' is a mockery of the slaughter that took place." He shook his head. "I can't imagine how Igneel, Grandine, and Metallicana survived. Perhaps someone hid their eggs, allowing them to hatch afterward." Erza slid closer. "All that's certain is that dragons were common until that time, and that most of them died in the war. Only Dragon Slayers have seen them since then. Unless Gray finds this woman, and her story is legitimate, the last dragons vanished on July 7, X777."

Erza frowned. "Even you have found nothing more?"

"Nothing that can be proven," Jellal replied, rubbing his chin. Mirajane came by with drinks for them both. "Thanks, Mira. I have a conjecture, though. We know that Igneel and Grandine cared deeply for Natsu and Wendy."

"You don't 'know' that," Gajeel objected. Erza looked up, to find the Slayer back in his usual outfit, standing over Jellal with his arms crossed. "Just because Natsu and Wendy say so–"

"I know the feelings of others, Gajeel," Jellal retorted, voice mild as he continued to read. "Sometimes I almost feel them myself. Natsu and Wendy loved their dragon parents, and knew the love Igneel and Grandine felt for them in return. It's written in their souls." Gajeel scowled while Jellal tapped the page he was on with one finger. "Dragons bond fiercely with their friends and loved ones. To leave as they did...we don't know what caused the Festival to end, but I strongly suspect that something terrible happened. Humanity survived, but it could be argued that everyone lost that war. Whoever – or whatever – emerged victorious at the Festival simply vanished from history. It's unlikely that they were slain."

"You think that the surviving dragons left to seal them away, or stop them from rising again," Erza realized. Jellal nodded. "That is not promising."

"True enough," Jellal admitted. "It's possible that the remaining dragons succeeded in their efforts, and sent this woman to make contact. However, I'm forced to admit that Gajeel is more likely to be correct, and that this rumor is bait for a trap." Gajeel's scowl faded, but didn't vanish.

"Surely you aren't so pessimistic," Erza objected, delicately cleaning the remains of her cake from her lips with her napkin.

Jellal licked his own lips, then returned his attention to the book. "I'm sorry, Erza, but rationally, it seems far more likely that one of Fairy Tail's many enemies is after our Dragon Slayers. That the dragons would just return now, with no particular impetus, yet remain hidden from their children, is implausible." He paused, looking away with haunted eyes. "A dragon made of stars..." Erza threw an arm around Jellal and held him tight. "I'm fine," he lied. _Badly,_ she thought.

"Daphne?" she asked.

"It could have been," Jellal admitted. "She's not the only one we've seen use demon runes, though. We don't know for certain that she was the one who..." he shuddered and turned away, eyes closed. "...when I...you know."

Erza wrapped her other arm around Jellal, gripping him in a fierce hug. "You're free," she insisted.

"I know," he lied. Erza's jaw clenched.

Gray entered the guild hall, heading for Levy and whispering to her. Juvia and Gajeel immediately turned and watched, Juvia's eyes saucer-wide, Gajeel's narrowed and sharp. They left together, and Juvia let her head drop to the bar top, a stream of tears flowing across the floor. Gajeel snorted and left. "That was...odd," Jellal noted, shrugging.

"I will go after them," Erza said, standing. "Please remain here."

"Remember our agreement," Jellal replied.

Erza nodded. "Mm, mm. Lucy! I request your assistance."

"What? Um, right! Coming!" The Celestial wizard rushed to follow as Erza stormed out the door. She barely caught a glimpse of Gajeel rounding a corner. "What are we doing, anyway?"

"Something is odd about Gray's sudden and quiet recruitment of Levy," Erza said, requipping into her Heaven's Wheel armor. "Also, when was the last time you saw Natsu or Wendy?"

"Huh?" Lucy blinked and looked up, nibbling at her lip. "Um, right before lunch, I think." Erza's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, Natsu missed a meal? That is weird." Lucy felt through her keys. "What agreement, Erza?"

"While Jellal is recovering, he doesn't take missions, and I don't take them alone," Erza explained. "Did you see them leave?" Lucy shook her head. "Mm. Summon one of your combat spirits."

"Huh? Why – eek!" Lucy blurted when Erza took to the sky. The sun was just setting, but Titania was confident enough in her observation skills to know that if Gajeel was somewhere in her line of sight, she would have found him. _Nothing._ She circled the city blocks around the guild hall, quickly returning to where Lucy waited below with Virgo. _No sign of Gray or Levy, either._ She frowned.

Loke appeared at Erza's side, grinning. "Hey, Erza. Been a while."

"Loke. We're looking for Gray, Levy, or Gajeel," Erza reported. The Lion Spirit raised an eyebrow. "If we find one, we'll most likely be able to track the others."

Loke's smile vanished, and his ring glowed with the light of Regulus. "What happened?"

"We're not sure. Gray spoke to Levy in private. Gajeel followed them, which is the only part of this I would have expected," Titania explained.

The spirit's grin returned. "Gajeel lllllikes her," Loke trilled.

"Irrelevant, at the moment," Erza insisted. _Unless..._ Worry shot through her with lightning's speed. "Gray is the priority. Natsu and Wendy may be missing. With Levy's sudden departure...."

Leo's entire body glowed. His smile vanished again. "If he really does care about Levy, she'd be the perfect bait for our Iron Dragon Slayer." He regarded Erza with narrowed eyes. "Gray would never do that."

"Not willingly," Erza whispered. Loke's eyes went round and wide. The spirit darted out in a flash, the golden trail of his flight a clear spiral search pattern. Erza flew back down to Lucy, who was still looking at the pattern formed by Leo's magic. "If this does not work, we may have to resort to one of your knowledge spirits."

"Silver keys take less energy to use, you know..." Lucy sighed.

Erza gasped. _Shame on me!_ She bowed to Lucy. "I apologize completely. You may strike me if you wish."

"Th-that's not necessary!" Lucy blurted, waving her arms overhead.

"Oi oi," Gray called from above them, and Erza straightened, "don't you two have other things to worry about?" Lucy's jaw dropped at the sight of Gray's cruel, dagger-sharp smile. Loke was frozen in a block of Devil Slayer ice.

"Close, Gate of the Lion!" Lucy cried. Gray's magic resisted hers, but Lucy's bond to her companion won out, and Leo returned to the Spirit World.

_Oh no._ Erza glared at the figure above them. _He's fully dressed,_ she realized. "On the off chance that you are Gray, cease this foolishness immediately!" Erza ordered. "If that is Gray's body, but not his mind or heart, then I give you this one chance to relent and beg forgiveness."

"Do you hear that, Gray darling," a familiar voice called, and Daphne strode up behind Gray, draping an arm around his shoulders, "she wants me to beg. That's cute, yes, yes." She was wearing the cowgirl garb she'd favored as a member of the Magic Council. Gray's cruel smile only grew.

_You,_ Erza fumed. Jellal's brief time as Daphne's puppet pulsed, a raw wound in her heart. "Requip!" Erza switched to her Black Wing Armor, holding its single sword aloft. "If that is your true body, Daphne, say so now, for I have little mercy left to give!"

"Oh, it is, yes, yes," Daphne retorted in a sing-song voice, "but you shouldn't have bothered with mercy in the first place." Her smile matched Gray's. "You know I never do. Now, where's my Jelly baby?"

The world turned red. Erza screamed and charged at Daphne. Gray stepped into her path, forcing her to dart aside before she skewered him. "Ice-Make: Rampart!" Gray chanted, and a massive wall formed between them.

Erza froze at the sound of Gajeel's scream. "Ah, they're playing my song, yes, yes. Time to go!" With a mad laugh, Daphne vanished in a ripple of teleportation magic.

_"Daphne!"_ Erza howled, and without even intending to, Requipped into her Clear Heart gi. Her Demon Blades quivered in her hands.

"Tch. I am your opponent," Gray announced. "Devil Slayer Secret Art: Ice Devil Zero Flesh!" Pale blue ice covered his entire body, and Erza was struck by the similarity to Mira's magic when claws, horns, and wings of ice grew from his body. _That's new._

Below them, Lucy gasped. _Lucy!_ Erza remembered, desperation warring with shame at forgetting her partner, even for a moment. "Lucy, summon another spirit, one that can protect you!" She forced herself back into her Black Wing Armor.

Gray's laugh was as maniacal as Daphne's. "Nothing can protect that cosplay cheerleader from me, you domineering savage!" Erza shuddered in spite of herself. _That's Daphne, not Gray, Daphne, not Gray,_ she insisted, gritting her teeth. "Then again, don't worry about that. She can play with Master Daphne's Lizard Men, while I show you a Devil Slayer's true power!" Her friend flapped his demon wings and took to the air, then dove at her in a predatory swoop.

The flashbacks to her rivalry with Mira intensified while Erza darted up to stop Gray. "Gray, fight it! It's me, Erza!" she cried. Gray only laughed. _No good. If Jellal couldn't beat it in the Tower...Zen. The solution's right in front of me._ Her sword crashed into Gray's forearm, a notched ridge stopping her blade. _All I have to do is call in Jellal. When he's still weak. Which must be what she wants._

"Ice-Make: Prison!" Gray chanted, and Erza found herself in a dense, frozen cage. Erza swiped at it, twice, three times, but even her Black Wing Sword wasn't strong enough to destroy it outright. With time, she could use it to carve her way out, true. Gray would never give her that time. "Ice-Make: Lance!" Over a dozen spikes shot out at Titania.

"Requip!" Summoning her Purgatory Armor, Erza spun, shattering the cage with Perdition. She then used the massive blade to deflect the lances, but the slower armor allowed Gray to dart behind her and slash. His talons themselves couldn't scratch her armor, but the overwhelming cold bit into her flesh, and ice crept over the suit's joints. _Grim. How's Lucy doing – gods, what now?_

Lucy was fighting two Lizard Men, Virgo at her side, except one of the reptilians wore the same chains Virgo did, and the other wielded a whip identical to Lucy's. "Erza! What do we do?"

Erza grimaced, leaping down to smash the whip-wielding Lizard Man with Perdition. It exploded into leather and crystal, like so many other automata of Daphne's creation. Lucy yelped, but recovered admirably, double-teaming the other synthetic foe with her Celestial Spirit. "Where's Levy?" Erza demanded of Gray, sweeping the flat of Perdition at her friend.

Gray laughed and dodged. _He's fast like this,_ Erza noted. "She's fine," he mocked. "I actually told her the truth – that Natsu and Wendy had gone to a dodgy mansion, and they might be in trouble. Heh." He twisted his foot in the ground, and another wave of frost shot towards Erza. She Requipped into her Ice Empress Armor and stood her ground. "Well, it's _technically_ true – I didn't actually watch Daphne install them in her Dragonoids, but since they were both unconscious when I left..." He snapped. Four more Lizard Men rose from the ground, copying the powers of Leo, Virgo, Gray, and Erza's Black Wing Armor. "Your move, Titania."

_Grim take me for a weakling,_ Erza cursed herself, placing two fingers to her brow. _Jellal, I need you._ She felt him enter her mind and promptly gave him access to her eyes. _Bring Juvia if you can. Use caution – it is almost certainly a trap._

All of Magnolia shuddered as a bolt of crackling blue light shot toward her. _Blue? What's Jellal doing this time?_ An instant later, her beloved appeared where the Ice Lizard had been. The Lizard Man shattered, its crystal exploding from within. Even Erza gaped when she saw Jellal sheathed in an aura like Meteor's, except it was the same blue he chose for most of his clothing, matching his hair. "What have I missed?" he asked.

"Daphne has taken over Gray's mind. He implied that she captured our Dragon Slayers," Erza reported. The Black Wing Lizard flew at her, and she cleaved it in two. Gray charged at them, but Jellal pushed him back with a ripple of force. "She has also created these Lizard Man mimics, who copy our magic and use it against us." Another Lizard Man appeared, wielding copies of Perdition and her Purgatory Armor. "He said something about 'installing' our friends in something called Dragonoids. Where is Juvia?"

Jellal's smile was cunning. A moment later, it began to rain. "Helping," he explained.

"The rain woman can't save you, Starburst!" Gray roared, flying at Jellal again. This time, a wedge of rippling frost carved through Jellal's telekinesis. "No one can!"

"Gray can," Jellal replied, bracing himself. "Incidentally, you haven't asked why my aura is blue." Gray slammed into him, and for a moment the two grappled. "Second Gear!" Jellal chanted, and his aura redoubled.

Gray screamed, and there was a sound like glass shattering from behind the Devil Slayer. Erza blinked as a column of rain coalesced into Juvia, who caught Gray and held him as he thrashed. "Gray-sama, please be all right!" she begged.

All at once, Gray collapsed into the water mage's arms, covering his face with one hand. "She...I..." He let Juvia help him up, fist clenched and eyes squeezed shut. Devil Slayer Ice darted out from his fist, destroying the remaining Lizard Men. "Where is Daphne?" he demanded.

"We were hoping you could tell us," Jellal said, his Meteor aura shrinking back to his skin. "Gray, what's a Dragonoid?"

"Artificial dragons," the Devil Slayer groaned, holding his head in one hand. "The Lizard Men can get by with lacrima, but for the Dragonoids, Daphne needed the power of Dragon Slayers." Gray coughed, then almost smiled. "I'll bite. Why are you blue?"

"Meteor Wave," Jellal grinned, as did Erza a moment later. _Our miracle,_ she thought. "I worked it out in prison. It's an adaptation of the combination magic I used while freeing Simon back in Akane. Meteor's speed and power with Wave Magic's protection and neutralization. It's quite useful. That's how I destroyed your slave crystal." He turned serious in an eyeblink. "How do you feel?"

"Lousy," Gray sighed, his bat-like wings twitching. "Erza–"

"It was not you," Erza insisted. Gray sighed, then nodded. "Jellal, I am worried about the growing numbers of these artificial Lizard Men."

"The four of you can handle them," Jellal said. "Clear the streets, herd them into the center of town, then combine your water and ice magics to shatter their lacrima hearts. I'll track down the Dragonoids." Erza blinked, then nodded. _He hasn't taken charge in a while._ She permitted herself a tiny smile while Gray turned toward the center of town. _I think I like it._

Erza nodded. "Contact Master Makarov while you search for them," she suggested. Jellal nodded back, then vanished in a burst of Meteor-speed. "Well. Let's find our comrades. We need to know where the Lizard Men are before we can force them where we want."

"J-Juvia has an idea," the water mage stammered, still blushing as she twiddled her fingers. "Perhaps we do not need to herd the Lizard Men if the streets are truly clear? Juvia and Love Rival could flood the streets, then Sir Erza and Gray-sama could freeze them all."

"I'm really not, you know," Lucy sighed.

Erza smiled. "Mm, mm. I will take Lucy and head to the north of town. You and Gray will head to the south. Once Jellal contacts Warren, he can link us with the rest of the guild, and we will put an end to this scheme of Daphne's." Gray sighed, his glare at Titania half-hearted, but he nodded. _Good. Working together, we should be able to deal with these latest monsters of hers._ Her smile faded to nothing. _I hope Jellal can manage as well with the Dragon Slayers..._


	67. Vol. 14, Ch. 5

Earthland-2, Magnolia, X784: Jellal

The Living Starburst shot across the sky, Magnolia blurring beneath him. Approaching the city from where Gray had sent Natsu and Wendy were three creatures that certainly resembled dragons. All three were a darker gray on top with lighter underbellies. The central one had a red lacrima in its chest and no foreclaws, but was bulky with large wings. The one to its left was more streamlined, though it had clumsy talons on all four legs, and its wings were shorter but made of razor-sharp steel. Its central lacrima was jet black. To its right was a thin and graceful model with wide feathered wings and arms that ended with short-clawed hands. It was the only one with a tail, long and whip-like, and its lacrima was a brilliant blue. All three were marching towards the city.

Jellal blinked. _Why aren't they flying?_ He circled, examining the feathered Dragonoid more closely. _The one holding Wendy should be able to take to the air, at least._ He dipped lower, examining the central bio-mech. Underneath a dome on the back of the central creature was Daphne, playing what looked like a piano at the heart of the control system. The Starburst frowned. _It's a shame she's so evil. What a Fairy Tail wizard she'd make._ He stopped in front of Natsu's Dragonoid, unleashing his full etheric pressure. The familiar column of sapphire light erupted around him. "Is this your endgame, Zalty? Sad toys that are as much dragons as a child's models?"

Daphne laughed. "Speaking of sad, was that your idea of pushing my buttons?" She stretched, cracking the knuckles of her interlaced fingers. "I'll push a few and see how you end up! Yes, yes!" She stabbed at her piano keys, and the Dragonoids all roared.

_Huh._ Jellal dove at the central monster, smashing into the lacrima. It barely cracked. _Okay. These things are incredibly tough. That's to be expected._ He shot behind them. "Second Gear," he chanted, and the world slowed. With a blink of concentration, the world of ether revealed itself to him. Natsu struggled within the heart of the central monster, small figures of dark and light on his shoulders. Gajeel snarled within the blade creature, his fury contained by Daphne's magic science. Wendy curled on herself inside the feathered beast, desperate to deny it her power. _Where do I go first-?_

"SAVE WENDY!!!" Natsu and Gajeel roared as one, forcing Jellal to cover his ears. _ow,_ he whimpered, flying back as a furious ringing drowned out all sound. All three Dragonoids froze briefly. When the Starburst was able to hear again, he realized that Daphne's piano-playing control of the beasts had stopped as well. _How did they even – ?_

"Um..." Wendy muttered, her Dragonoid twiddling its fingers.

Jellal smiled. "Okay." Again, he focused. _Faster. I need to be faster. Please work,_ he prayed. "Third - Gear!" he chanted, and this time the world slowed to a crawl. _Thank you, Mavis!_ The monster's jaw was slowly yawning open. _Wendy it is._ He raced into the belly of the beast, where Wendy floated in a strange blue light. It shone from above like the sun through an ocean of ether, a darkness hungering below the child. Jellal's smile vanished as he sensed the healer's power draining away below them.

The Starburst raced to Wendy's side, scooping her up to cradle the Dragon Slayer in one arm, then cast out a field of Wave Magic with the other. The peaceful sea became a churning storm. _Time to go,_ he realized, racing back out of the Dragonoid's mouth. Two seconds later, the thing exploded in his wake. Several gasps echoed below them. "Wendy!" Erza called.

_Better reassure her,_ Jellal decided, darting to the side of his beloved Titania. "She's fine," Jellal explained, letting Meteor shift down to its usual acceleration. Carla flew to her partner, Happy following to circle above the battle. "The Dragonoids have external shielding, but on the inside, their lacrima have the same vulnerabilities as the Lizard Men."

"Y-you went into it? To save me?" Wendy breathed, and Jellal put her down. The young wizard's legs still wobbled, but she was able to stand.

"Amazing..." Erza whispered, eyes wide. Jellal turned to reply, but even as she spoke, a volley from Heaven's Wheel destroyed an entire squad of Lizard Men.

"That's how I feel, every time I see your magic," Jellal replied, smiling at her. Erza blushed and looked away. "We've found their weaknesses. This battle should be over soon."

"That's what you think, Jelly mold!" Daphne laughed, her two remaining Dragonoids stomping through the outskirts of the city. Another squad of Lizard Men appeared, each manifesting a different suit of Erza's armor. "As for you, Scarlet, I've made careful records of our previous battles and analyzed the data minutely. Yes, yes, yes, yes! Every time you defeat the Lizard Men, I make them stronger – and those are just version 2.5!"

Jellal frowned, then put two fingers to his forehead. _Master, has Fairy Tail cleared the streets?_

_We're still making sure it's done, my boy,_ Master Makarov replied. _Ultear and Cana will know soon. Can you save Natsu and Gajeel?_

_I'll do my best, sir._ Jellal raced up, looking over the remaining two Dragonoids. He froze, a single drop of sweat rolling down his cheek, when he saw they were literally butting heads. "Jellal's going to save you next!" Natsu howled.

"No, he's going to save _you_ next!" Gajeel snarled back.

Daphne pounded on her piano keys with discordant fury. "Obey me! Yes! Yes!" she cried.

"Those two," Jellal sighed. Then he dove into the metal Dragonoid. Somewhere in the distance, he thought he heard Natsu laugh. He _definitely_ heard Gajeel growl in frustration. "Daphne's piloting the one with Natsu in it," Jellal explained as he approached the floating, twitching Dragon Slayer. "That's all." He grabbed Gajeel's hand, then raced out again. It was only a few seconds' work to descend to Erza's side while Gajeel's Dragonoid exploded behind him. Erza, Lucy, and Wendy had amassed an impressive and growing pile of Lizard Men around them. Carla watched from Wendy's shoulders, pointing out where the mimics would appear. Happy soared overhead, keeping an eye out for surprises.

"Man, I need my own cat..." Gajeel muttered.

Jellal's eyes bulged. "All this, and _that's_ what you're thinking about?" he blurted.

"Says the guy who collects chalk," Gajeel retorted.

"What does that have to do with anything?!" Jellal demanded. Erza hid a chuckle behind Perdition.

_Gray! Juvia! The streets are clear!_ Makarov sent. _Now!_

"Unison Raid: _Ice Nebula!"_ Gray and Juvia cried. The town's canals erupted, water washing through the city and freezing the Lizard Men wherever it touched them. Jellal couldn't help but smile. _Nicely done. Even if anyone had been out there, they'd be soaked at worst. They didn't even need Erza or Lucy. Juvia will be over the moon after that._

"It doesn't matter!" Daphne cried, driving the Natsu-beast to rampage. "I have Dragneel! If I can't have a dragon of stars, I'll take a dragon of flame!"

Jellal glared at the remaining Dragonoid, his Meteor aura erupting in a towering blaze around him. Long-building realization struck with thunder's force. All his good humor disintegrated. "You," he snarled. "It _was_ you in the Tower, wasn't it, Daphne? Poisoning me with your demon magic and your talk of star dragons." Jellal floated into the sky, glaring down at the villain's last defense. "Tormenting Fairy Tail with your replicas, seducing my brother to darkness, attacking and enslaving _children,_ leaving blood and sorrow in your wake–!"

"Wait! Truce! _Truce!_ Let's talk about this!" Daphne wailed, playing wildly on her keyboard.

"Erza! Can you free Natsu?" Jellal called out.

There was a moment's pause. "Fairy Tail can!" she called back, holding her blazing sword high.

Jellal nodded. "Thank you." He gathered all the power he'd learned to wield, five different pieces of chalk orbiting as he concentrated. _For eight years, you've haunted me,_ he raged, drawing elemental symbols around him. _Today, it ends!_

With a howl of fury, he charged at Daphne's monstrosity. Shadows filled with runes the color of blood raced back at him, striking at his flesh, his mind, his heart. Wards he'd spent a lifetime preparing shattered them all. Curses meant to enslave his will melted away. Blades of devil-stuff broke against ramparts of earth, streams of water, storms of air, bursts of flame. Ether-stealing spells failed against his Meteor Wave.

Satisfaction filled his bones when he struck at the crystal dome protecting Daphne, her cockpit cracking all along its surface. Two strange stuffed animals attacked him. He destroyed them both in a single use of Starburst. The look of terror on Daphne's face almost made the years she'd stalked him worthwhile. "Where is your Zeref now, coward?" he asked.

Daphne screamed and punched a glass panel. Her fist broke through and slammed into a large red button. For a moment, all he felt in response was a greater awareness of Erza fighting, her fierce passion a light in the darkness. Jellal smiled and raised his fist, one blow away from ending Zalty's mad schemes at last. _You’re going to spend the rest of your life in Black Vox, you –_

_...unworthy..._

Jellal froze, blinking. "What?" he blurted, stumbling back. Grief rippled through him like a wave, a sense of being clumsy and inadequate driving the satisfaction away. It was a leaden weight beneath his skin, crushing passion and will alike.

"Yes!" Daphne gasped. "It worked..." she smiled at him, cold and cruel. _"...empath."_

The sorrows struck him in a torrent: _Igneel, where are you – failed them all, my parents, Master Ur, my sisters, everyone – so weak, always hiding behind my spirits, my_ friends _– still a She-Demon, why can't I stop hurting my family – betrayed them all, failed Laxus, failed Fairy Tail – Shou, I miss you so much, I should never have asked you to hide what we were – that awful metal sun, leering down at me, wanting me to fall to Darkness –_

– _Jellal, my love, why do you keep saving me when all I do is fail you?_

Jellal grabbed head and _screamed._ "STOP! I can't – _it's too much_ – MAKE IT STOP!" He tumbled off the Dragonoid head, flailing through the air, falling. He hit the cobblestones hard enough to leave a crater, only Meteor Wave protecting him from a swift and ugly death. The Cosmic spell vanished after his landing. Jellal curled into a ball, the pain of an entire guild of people whose suffering had brought them together stabbing through his soul. "STOP STOP STOP MAKE IT STOP"

_I love you._

Jellal's eyes flew wide. Warm, gentle arms held him, and the pain receded. He looked up to find Erza smiling at him. _My miracle,_ he heard in her voice.

What followed was pure emotion – friendship, gratitude, devotion – drowning out all the sorrow. _How? How did they know?_

"None of us felt it as you did, Jellal," Erza explained, "but whatever she did affected us all – and we knew what it did to you." Her smile vanished, and her glare at the Dragonoid was fury incarnate. "We all strive to reach out in Fairy Tail, touch one another's feelings, but for you it is second nature. Daphne used that to _hurt_ you – and that is unforgivable!" His gaze flickered behind Erza, and he could not count the swords gathered at her command. "Natsu! Are you just going to sit there and accept this fate while your friends suffer?"

"WHAT?!" Natsu roared. Erza gently lowered Jellal back to the ground, then flew at the Dragonoid with all her might.

The rest of the battle went by in a blur, Jellal doing his best to block out the storm of alien emotions as the guild finished the battle without him. He was able to pick out a few moments – Erza and Gajeel shattering the crimson lacrima in the beast's chest, the flames shot by half the guild to re-energize Natsu, Daphne's desperate teleportation-escape. _Of course she got away again,_ he sighed. In the end, it was too much, and he passed out, teeth bared. _Next time..._


	68. Vol. 14, Ch. 6

Earthland-2, East Forest, X784: Natsu

Natsu stared at Jellal, listening to him breathe as he slept in one of Porlyusica's beds. "Does he always sound like that when he sleeps?" Natsu asked.

Erza nodded. "Ever since...the Tower," she explained. "Milli thinks he learned to be quiet even in his sleep. Quiet children lasted longer there."

Natsu's teeth bit hard on the nothing he wished was an enemy. _He smells like pain. No one should smell like pain,_ the Dragon Slayer growled. "How did she even do this? All the other crap Daphne threw at him just bounced off like he was a manga hero."

Erza stroked Jellal's hair, her smile happy and sad at the same time. _So weird,_ Natsu decided. "It doesn't take magic to reach out to the feelings of others. Jellal does it like breathing." She shrugged. "I suppose it's no different than something like Take Over Magic. You don't have to be a wizard to have arms or legs, after all, but Lisanna can turn them into wings and fins."

Happy raised one paw. "I think you hurt your brain again, Erza," he replied.

"Huh? That made perfect sense!" Natsu insisted, nodding at Titania. Happy sat in the corner suddenly, facing the walls, head bowed. _Some days, I don't understand Happy,_ the Dragon Slayer sighed.

"No doubt he will develop a ward for this as well," Erza continued, her smile fading. Jellal's only movement remained his soft, shallow breathing. "Still. He is in this hut too often."

"Indeed," Porlyusica drawled, Happy leaping back to Natsu and hugging him for dear life. Natsu clung to his friend in kind, eyes wide at the sight of the broom she held. _How is a woman with no magic so scary with such a weak weapon?!_ he wondered, quivering. "For one so supposedly brilliant, the mighty Shield of Fiore never ceases to find new ways to get his frail human body damaged."

"Not my body," Jellal whispered, and Erza lit up like the Fantasia festival. "Not this time." He winced, and Natsu could make out fists clenching beneath the blankets. Happy leaped down to Natsu's lap. "Grim take that woman. How did she do it?"

"You'll work it out," Erza insisted. "You always do." Natsu looked away. _She doesn't sound convinced. Low-range burr in her throat._ He shook his head. _He will, though. He's Jellal._

"I'm sure you've noticed that your awareness is still amplified," Porlyusica snapped, sounding even more irritable than usual. "Ten days, this time. Scarlet, I don't care if you have to chain him–"

_"No,"_ Jellal snapped back, sitting up so fast that it even surprised Erza, who stumbled out of her chair. "Never again."

"She didn't mean it like that, Jellal," Erza whispered, and Natsu's eyes nearly bulged out of his head when she twiddled her fingers. _Erza_ twiddled her fingers. _What the Grim?_

Porlyusica snorted. "You used to heed my instructions, boy. Lately, you seem incapable of spending a single recovery period staying out of trouble. Ten days, if you don't want some faceless Dark mage shooting you in the back while you're distracted." She threw her broom at a barrel with three others, the clatter sending Happy darting back into Natsu's arms. "It's bad enough that you frail humans keep getting your _bodies_ damaged, but that's not sufficient for you, oh no. The great Living Starburst must ensure his heart is wounded as well!" she snarled.

Jellal stared for several long, quiet moments. Natsu could hear their hearts beating. "You're like me," he whispered, "aren't you, Miss Porlyusica?" The healer's eyes widened for a moment. Then she huffed and looked away. "You don't really hate people. It just hurts too much to be around us. Especially when we're in pain..."

"Don't flatter yourselves," Porlyusica retorted, crossing her arms. _Oh! He's right!_ Natsu realized. "I don't know how you stand them, boy. All that greed, lust, selfishness, cowardice, hatred – humans are a worthless lot."

"They're not _that_ bad," Natsu blurted. Porlyusica and Jellal both turned looks of surprise on him, the healer's eyes wide, Starburst's eyebrow going up. "I don't feel other people's feelings, but I can kinda hear and smell them. Sure, a lot of folks are mixed up, but they're usually pretty nice anyway." He grinned. "I have to blow up a _lot_ of stuff for us to get chased out of town!"

Natsu heard Erza blink. _Uh-oh. What did I say?_ the Dragon Slayer wondered. Fortunately, Jellal smiled and came to his rescue. "Exactly," he agreed. "We're the result of countless millions of years of evolution telling us to be selfish. Up against that are a few thousand years of civilization teaching us to obey the law. Then, there is kindness. Kindness is just something people _do._ Like, for example, a healer who feels the suffering of her patients. When you think about it, isn't it amazing how much good there is in the world?"

Porlyusica locked eyes with Jellal for several seconds. Neither of them said anything. "Ten days, boy. I don't think Scarlet _sitting_ on you will be a trigger, so–" she turned to Erza again, who blushed while Jellal cocked his head in confusion – "do what you must to keep him away from others, girl. He'll manage with the sorrow of one or two companions, if what he survived as a child is any indication. Don't let him go into battle, but other activities are fine. If you copulate, use protection."

Erza and Jellal both turned bright red. "P-Porlyusica!" Erza stammered, while Happy snickered. Jellal swayed, eyes fixed on the floor, a single drop of blood rolling out of his nose. Natsu blinked, sighed, and shook his head. _I don't understand_ any _of them,_ he decided.


	69. Vol. 15, Ch. 1

**Volume Fifteen: Not All Who Wander**

Earthland-1, Worth Woodsea, X790: Meredy

Meredy glanced from Ultear to Jellal and back. Mom was looking at Jellal with a raised eyebrow, while Jellal rubbed his chin and gazed into Ul's crystal ball. _Can't read him. Might as well just ask,_ Meredy decided. "Are you like your counterpart? Empathic?"

"Probably not to the same degree," Jellal replied. "In the Tower, I suffered when my friends did, but my counterpart seems particularly vulnerable to his gift."

Ultear looked away. "It was inconvenient. I couldn't eliminate it entirely without removing a vital element of his talent for leadership, so I...dampened it."

"There's been no cause to change that," Jellal added, putting a hand on Ultear's shoulder, "and now, we have a good reason to leave me as I am."

"You should learn Wave Magic," Ultear blurted. Jellal blinked in surprise. "I kept that from you, too. I imagine the reason is obvious."

"To keep me from inadvertently disrupting your spell," he said, nodding.

Meredy's eyes widened. "So that's why you use seals and wards to block magic! Ever since Blue-Two started picking up Wave spells way back when, I was wondering."

"Later," Jellal replied. "For now, let us ensure that Erza and my counterpart manage, and keep an eye on Fairy Tail." Meredy's eyes lit up. "We will _not_ observe any intimacy, Meredy."

Ultear laughed as Meredy's face fell. "Aww," she complained. _Spoilsport._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOTATION: Volume title inspired by "Not all who wander are lost," a line describing Strider in "Lord of the Rings."


	70. Vol. 15, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Fernandes Estate, X784: Erza

_I don't think I need my armor to fly,_ Erza thought. Jellal's hand in hers, their fingers laced together, they walked toward the manor with smiles that went into their hearts. "I was beginning to believe we could never go on a date without interruption," she said, pulling him closer.

Jellal chuckled. "I'd call that attack by the Urumi mage an interruption," he noted.

Erza blinked. "Rayule? Hardly. He was no more a disruption than a gust of wind."

"If you insist..." Jellal glanced down and away. Erza rested her head against his shoulder, remembering the "fight" against the Eisenwald mage. He'd wrapped his bands around them both, and they had thrown them off and struck him simultaneously. _He won't wake up for hours yet. It was not worth calling a battle._ She looked up at Jellal, and realized he was blushing just enough to notice. _You would take such a thing seriously. I suppose you wouldn't be Jellal otherwise._

"Have you been enjoying our vacation, Jellal?" Erza asked, her smile growing a wicked edge.

Jellal slipped his hand out of hers, wrapping his arm around her waist. "I'm almost tempted to thank Daphne. If she hadn't escaped, these would have been the best three days of my life."

"We will bring her to justice," Erza insisted, putting her arm around Jellal in kind. She bit her lip at the feel of his hip on her fingers. _Just a little lower, and..._ She shook her head ferociously. _What am I thinking? Don't be a pervert!_

She looked up again when she realized they'd slowed down. "Erza?" Jellal asked, watching her with a hint of concern.

"I-I'm fine! Just enjoying you here with me," Erza chuckled. _Maybe too much,_ she thought, swallowing. Then she thought about his comment again. _Wait, but it's just us._ She glanced over at him as they reached the manor doors. "Do you miss Fairy Tail?"

"It's only been three days," Jellal noted. "We'll be back before Natsu's noticed we're gone."

"That's cheating. He's Natsu," Erza retorted, letting Jellal go to allow him to open the door. _He's right. We've both gone on longer missions than this._ She followed him into the enormous home, glancing out the window. _I'm being ridiculous._

Alphonse appeared at the top of the steps. "Master Jellal, Miss Erza, welcome back. Did you enjoy your evening?"

"Quite, Alphonse," Jellal called up, smiling again. "It's a little annoying to have to avoid groups of people, but that café you recommended was perfect." He glanced down at Erza, his smile growing, and joy consumed her uncertainty. He chuckled. "There was even a little pre-dinner entertainment."

Erza laughed. "It _was_ amusing, I'll grant you that."

The sharply-dressed butler watched them for a few moments as they headed toward him, then nodded. "Very good, sir, miss. I've taken the liberty of preparing dessert and digestifs. Chocolate-covered strawberry shortcake trifles, Golden Chartreuse for Master Jellal, and strawberry eau de vie for Miss Erza."

Erza's eyes gleamed, and Jellal chuckled. "Perfect, old friend. Simply perfect," Jellal said.

"Pleased to be of service, sir." Alphonse nodded. _That's right, Jellal gets uncomfortable when Alphonse bows too deeply to him,_ Erza remembered. "And if I may say so, it is good to have you back, Master Jellal."

"Thank you, Al," Jellal replied, walking to Erza's chair and pulling it out. "Why don't you take the rest of the night off? You've certainly earned it."

Alphonse's responding smile seemed to see right through Erza. _Gods, I never thought Jellal would be so bold!_ Titania thought, eyes widening. "Under other circumstances, I would note that I have found great pleasure in service to the Fernandes Estate. Tonight, however, I believe I will take your advice. Have a wonderful evening, sir, miss." With that, he bowed again and retreated.

Erza rushed to sit, but Jellal was distracted as he gently slid her chair into place. "I wonder what he meant by that," the Starburst muttered. Erza blinked. _What?_ She watched, her own smile fading, as Jellal sat next to her and offered Erza one of the trifles. _Later,_ she decided, accepting the dessert and devouring it.

One demolished set of snacks later, Erza dabbed delicately at her lips. Jellal sipped his drink, looking across the room, smile long gone. "Thinking about Siegrain?" she asked.

"Not tonight. I refuse," he insisted, shaking his head. "You will be the only thought I have."

"S-so." Erza licked her lips. They still tasted of strawberry. She met Jellal's soft gaze. "W-what thought of me did you have in m-mind?"

Jellal stared at her for a few seconds, and her cheeks burned as she looked into his eyes. Then those beautiful eyes went wide, and he gasped, and Erza forced herself not to growl in frustration. "I didn't mean anything like that!" he blurted. _I told him he sets the pace,_ Erza reminded herself, eyes locked onto her empty plate. "Gods, Erza, we've only had one real date, I wouldn't–"

"It's fine," she said too quickly, standing. Jellal leaped to his feet, lips tight. "I-I wouldn't object if we...needed to...take Porlyusica's advice," she stammered, "but this is your choice." She turned around. _Erza Scarlet,_ she admonished herself, _don't you_ dare _blame Jellal for how this evening is ending when you turn into such a wreck–!_

"Erza," Jellal breathed, and she turned to see he'd gone slightly pale, "have I done something wrong?" He reached out to her with a trembling hand.

"No!" She took it and smiled. "No, today's been wonderful. It's just – frustrating, that our first date was interrupted by the Celestial Realm, and then the beginning of our vacation was so, um, interesting."

Jellal sighed and shook his head. "Yes. Interesting." Erza scowled. _Invaded by accountants and managers. How petty._ He shrugged. "Let me see you to your room, at least," he insisted.

"Of course." She let him guide her through the old house. Naturally, she'd memorized the layout on their first day here, in case of an assault. _He's trying to be gallant._ She took a deep breath as they approached the door to her temporary bedroom. _Why am I doing so poorly at this? Pathetic!_

They reached the door, but Jellal hesitated. "Erza? Do – do _you_ miss Fairy Tail?"

"I always miss them when I'm away," she explained, "but we're going home once you're better." Understanding and fear thundered through her as a matched set. "Aren't we?"

"I go where you go," Jellal whispered, tugging her closer by the hand he held. "My heart beats in your chest." That heart pounded like Crash magic. _But...where do you_ want _do be? Was Siegrain right about this, if nothing else? Did Daphne merely intensify a pain already present? Does being in Fairy Tail hurt you?_ She gazed into his eyes and saw love that made her legs quiver. _I want this...I want_ you _...so much..._

Horror brought the pounding of her heart to a stop.

_Am I the reason he doesn't think he's free?_

She looked away and put her hand against Jellal's chest. He froze. "I love you, Jellal. Good night." Before her courage could fail her further, she retreated into the bedroom and closed the door, leaning on it and crying.

"Oh, _come on!"_ Daughter Voice complained, her voice distant but clear.

"Hush," Ultear-1 admonished.

She waited until she heard Jellal's footsteps fade into the distance. "I have to know he's free," Erza whispered. "I need to know that _Jellal_ knows he's free. I will not be his burden."

The world was quiet for several seconds. Even the crickets seemed to hold their breath. "Erza, honey," Ultear-1 said at last, "you _are_ his freedom."

"Perhaps." Erza sighed. "Thank you for all you have done, Ultear, but this is a battle no one else can fight for me."

"Your future is your own, Erza," Jellal-1 replied, and hunger for her own Starburst rippled through her anew, "but this is not a battle. It is simply a choice."

"I know," she lied. "Good night."


	71. Vol. 15, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, Fernandes Estate, X784: Jellal

Jellal Fernandes, the Living Starburst and Shield of Fiore, picked at his breakfast with all the enthusiasm of choosing what socks to wear. Alphonse sat across from him, methodically working through a bacon omelet and hash browns. The old man raised an eyebrow. "While your malady is not physical, Master Jellal, you really should eat."

"I know, Alphonse," Jellal admitted, fork toying at the edge of his own omelet, "but my appetite seems to have left with Erza."

Alphonse sighed, picked up his plate, and sat next to Jellal. "My boy, I suspect you need to talk to someone. I have some skill at listening."

"I've burdened you with too much already," Jellal replied, shoulders sagging. "You don't need to hear me whine about...things."

A large, gentle hand came to rest on Jellal's shoulder. "Jellal, I've lived a long, full life. I spent years of my youth trapped in a suit of armor that kept me alive. I fought three wars beside my brother, one of the greatest heroes of his age. I was married for sixty years, raised three children, helped raise seven grandchildren. My predecessor hired me, but I came here to find one last challenge. Instead, I found you." Jellal stared at Alphonse, his jaw sagging. "Siegrain's fate saddens me, and I truly hope you can change it, but I remain because in all my years I have never met someone like you. I can run a household and keep pen-pushers in line in my sleep. Talk to me, son."

Jellal let his head drop and his eyes close. "I don't even know where to begin. It's just..." he took a deep breath. Alphonse simply waited. "...everyone looks at me like I'm perfect, but I'm just good at hiding the mess. I honestly don't know how much of a difference I make. I spent over a month as Erza's damsel in distress, and she still treats me like her hero. The last two times I faced Siegrain, he killed Shou, then saved Wendy, Lyon, and Lucy. I let the Rune Knights take me to preserve justice, only to be tortured for my trouble. I was _one blow away_ from catching that monster Daphne, and she slipped through my fingers because I couldn't handle a bunch of feelings!"

He waved around them. "Then this. I thought I knew what was going on with us – me and Erza – but I think I hurt her and I don't know how. I'm a wreck, Alphonse. I don't know front from back right now. I can't even go back to the guild for another four days." Jellal sighed again and rested his chin on his palm. "I know it's probably best that Erza left yesterday, but I already feel empty without her. And Fairy Tail..." he bit his lip. "...does she think I don't belong there?" He looked up at Alphonse, fear crawling up his spine. "Do _you_ think I don't belong there?"

Alphonse stared for a moment. Then the old man laughed. "Did your guild mark end up over your heart by accident, Jellal?" He shook his head. "You really do remind me of a young alchemy mage I knew so long ago. How many times do you have to prove yourself before you can see what everyone else sees in you? How many lives must you save, how many sacrifices do you have to make, before you realize who you are?"

Jellal stared. "Who am I, then?"

"Jellal Fernandes, S-Class wizard of Fairy Tail." Alphonse stood and patted Jellal's shoulder. "Also the Living Starburst, Shield of Fiore, Miracle of Magnolia." Jellal gaped. _Another one?!_ he wondered in disbelief. Alphonse chuckled. "You can pin that last one on Erza, after you flattened Porla during the guild war." Slowly, Jellal stood. Then he hugged the old man for all he was worth. "It's okay, son. It's okay."

"Thanks, Alphonse," Jellal whispered.

Alphonse laughed and extricated himself from Jellal's grip. "Any time. Now if you'll excuse me, Master Jellal, I'm going to take this to the kitchen and add a few things." He picked up his plate and wandered off.

Jellal smiled, levitated his own plate, and floated out one of the windows. After finishing his breakfast under his favorite estate tree, the Starburst walked across the field, enjoying the morning without a care. _I'm weird, even for Fairy Tail. I need time to myself, even when I'm not like this. I like to read. But that's what makes Fairy Tail so wonderful. No matter what you are, all you have to do is care, and you're home._

Ozone wafted towards Jellal. He sniffed at the air, following the scent, feeling a little like Natsu. The sight he found at the edge of the estate froze him in place.

Laxus stared back, hands in his pockets, his expression neutral and uncaring. Even with what Daphne had done to Jellal, he couldn't guess what the lightning mage was feeling. "What are you doing here?" Jellal blurted.


	72. Vol. 15, Ch. 4

Earthland-2, Fernandes Estate, X784: Laxus

"Well hello to you too, Blueberry," Laxus retorted. _Even Jellal, huh? I guess I shouldn't be surprised._ The Dragon Slayer shrugged. "Just passing through. You got a problem with that?"

"Don't," Jellal growled, hands balling into fists. "Don't pretend you're just out for a walk and I'm home 'chilling' or whatever." Laxus huffed and looked away from the fury building behind those hazel eyes. "Why – are – you – here?"

"To talk," Laxus explained. _Well, more than that, but let's start off slow._

Jellal stared, then laughed. "Come back in four days," he replied, then turned.

Laxus blinked. _Huh?_ He walked towards Jellal. "Why?"

"Because Daphne hit me with some weird new magic," Jellal snapped, "and it put me on edge. Porlyusica said ten days, and with Erza gone, I plan on listening to her for once."

Laxus grabbed his shoulder. "Not so fast," he insisted.

Jellal spun, fist cocked in the air. "You want to do this, Laxus? Now? With me? _Really?"_

_Huh. Look who's got his rage on. Looks like I can skip to the main event._ Laxus grinned at him. "Yeah. Really. Winner picks lunch. Loser pays."

"You inane – no. This is a terrible idea." Jellal slapped Laxus' hand away and turned to leave.

Laxus transformed into lightning and zipped in front of Jellal. "I'm not some newbie weakling, Jellal. This has been years coming, and you know it." Jellal snorted and turned to go around him. "Myst put up a hell of a fight, you know. Let's see if you can do any better." His friend stopped cold. "Erza, on the other hand...man, what a disappointment she turned out to –"

He didn't see the kick coming.

The lightning wizard grinned as he went flying. Jellal howled, following with a blue Meteor aura roaring around him. _That's new. This fight may actually be a challenge._ His grin vanished. _No. Gotta take him seriously. I have to win if I want him to believe me._ His ears perked up as Jellal cast another spell. "Second Gear!" _What the Grim is –_

Jellal accelerated, suddenly faster than Laxus' human form. Starburst's blows struck at Laxus' magic as much as they did his body. Laxus smirked. "Not bad, Blue. Try this!" Laxus transformed into lightning and raced around the Starburst, throwing arcs of power at him. A few of them even struck Jellal, but that new Wave effect kept blunting their force.

"Third Gear!" Jellal moved faster still, and while his speed wasn't enough to keep up with Laxus' lightning form, he was closing the gap, able to tag Laxus with his Starburst blasts. _Okay. Let's get real._ Laxus charged at Jellal, and when Blueberry dodged, Laxus changed back into human form and used his momentum to punch him in the gut. Jellal shot into the ground, his Meteor field leaving an impressive crater. _That's more like it. Time to –_

Laxus hovered in place, blinking. Jellal was smiling. _Why is he –_ The lightning mage's train of thought blew up there, as a rain of steel and a column of water slammed at him from above. He managed to pivot as he fell, noting the twin chalk seals drawn overhead. _Crap. He's_ really _taking me seriously. Time to return the favor._ He pivoted again mid-fall and took a deep breath. "Lightning Dragon – ROAR!"

Jellal gasped and dodged, Laxus' blast doubling the size of the crater. Starburst shook his leg out as he flew, sparks trailing from it. _I love my magic,_ Laxus grinned, transforming back into lightning.

That's when he was pulled to earth by the puddle and fallen shards of steel. _Zen damn it, Jellal, what are you up to?_ the Dragon Slayer raged. Jellal's smile was fierce and cold as he aimed at Laxus with a familiar targeting gesture. "I'd explain magnetism and polarity to you, but you never liked physics. GRAND CHARIOT!"

The world turned gold, Heaven's fury raining down on him with power even his lightning state couldn't withstand. Laxus went flying, forcibly transformed back into his physical body. A dozen curses snarled through his mind in half as many seconds. _Focus – I gotta focus! Can't let him throw me off, just by fighting the way he always does!_ He kicked at the air itself, electricity gathering beneath his boots, and leaped at Jellal with all his power. "Lightning Dragon Iron Fist!" he roared. Jellal tried to dodge, but Laxus pivoted, and again his fist crashed into his friend's body. Jellal rolled with the punch, allowing himself to tumble backwards from the force. _That's it. Up close and personal, that's how I win this._

That, of course, was when he ran into the Solid Seal. _Crap!_ Laxus slammed his fist into the shield, but it didn't budge. Looking down, he saw five chalk symbols on the ground, forming a star between them. _Earth – Water – Air – Fire – Wave? Magic itself as a fifth element?_ He summoned his power, forming his spear. "Lightning Halberd!" The Seal shuddered where he struck it, at last starting to give. _Gotta hurry – rule one when fighting Jellal,_ never _give him time to think!_ Laxus looked up.

Jellal held his right hand overhead, a pinpoint scarlet light above his palm. _That's – maybe I can surge through it, it's a poor man's Fairy Law, I'm not here as his enemy –_ Laxus wound up for a second strike while the Starburst chanted and the great sapphire star formed above them. "Fixed light of Heaven, guide us to victory! _Polaris!"_

Laxus smashed through the Seal just as Polaris struck. He turned back into lightning – and howled as the spell punished him for his betrayals. Divine judgement burned through the Dragon Slayer, crushing his will as it smashed into his body. _I...lost..._ Polaris dissipated, leaving another crater, and an all-too-human Laxus collapsed into it. _I deserved...to lose..._

Panting, Jellal staggered over, Cosmic Storm brewing in his palm. "Hh...hh...had...enough?" he gulped, glaring down even as he struggled to stay upright. Meteor's aura had vanished.

"Threw everything...into that spell, huh?" Laxus retorted, grinning up at the Starburst. "Gutsy. I'm glad...the guild's in good hands."

"Yeah. Master Makarov's." Jellal glared at him, and Laxus' smile vanished in the heat of the cosmic wizard's fury. "You want...to tell me...what this was about?"

"I had to win," Laxus whispered, blinking back tears. _Not gonna cry. I'm not._ "I had to, so you'd believe me...when I said..." His jaw clenched. "I'm sorry. Damn it. I'm sorry, Jellal. You were an excuse. I know that now."

Jellal straightened and blinked. "I was a what?" he breathed.

Laxus chuckled again. "They didn't tell you. Figures." He covered his face in one hand. "I called them cowards, for leaving you in Black Vox. Told them I'd get you out, when I was Master." He didn't need sight to know that Jellal was shaking. "It wasn't about you. It was... _I_ was... _I'm sorry..."_

There was a hiss of disturbed earth as Jellal half-slid, half-stumbled over to him. Laxus braced for the punch he had coming. "You great, howling idiot," Jellal sighed. There was no punch. Laxus let his palm slide away from his face, only to see Jellal holding a hand out to him. "Did you really think you needed to win a fight for me to believe an apology? From you?"

_Not crying. I'm. Not._ Laxus's hand trembled as he took Jellal's. His oldest remaining friend tried to help him up, but when Laxus pulled, Jellal slipped in the dirt and fell beside him. "Oof," Blueberry grunted. "Yeah, I probably put more energy into Polaris than I should've. Ow." Laxus chuckled again. "Not to mention how much ethernano Third Gear burns through. You're lucky I can't hit you right now."

"I'm lucky you _won't_ hit me right now," Laxus corrected, smirking and folding his arms. "You're just being lazy."

"Jerk."

"Killjoy."

"Moron."

"Goody-goody."

As one, they looked at each other, paused, and laughed. "Admit it, Blue. You needed that," Laxus insisted.

"At least I know you didn't let me win," Jellal conceded, holding his head. "Ow. You've been working out."

"Dragon Slayer. I don't have to." Laxus grinned at him.

"I hate you," Jellal sighed.

Laxus laughed again. "Like Grim. If you hated me, you could've kicked me in the nuts and thrown me off your turf. Or called the Rune Knights on me."

"Not on anyone who isn't a Dark Mage. I've been inside Black Vox, thank you." Jellal took in a deep, shaky breath. "I had no idea it was that bad. You may have been wrong about a lot of things, but you're right about the Council. They're useless."

The Dragon Slayer grunted. "Can't believe I'm hearing you say that."

"They tortured me." Laxus sat up in a burst of outrage, then immediately regretted it, doubling over from pain and momentum. "Then, when the Oracion Seis went after the whole damn continent, they ran and hid until it was over, threw around threats to keep us in our place, and carted off my brother when he was finally sane again." Laxus managed to turn and look, only to find Jellal crying. "Zeref take them."

"You don't mean that," Laxus whispered. _Please, don't mean that. Let me hate them for you._

There was a long silence, only punctuated by the creaking of the sparse trees and occasional, uncertain bird call. "No. I wish to Grim I did, though." Laxus exhaled. _Whew._ "Levy says there's already been prison reforms, but that doesn't change their cowardice." Jellal sighed and sat up. "Come on. If I know you, you need a drink. Or four."

"Four," Laxus agreed. "Four sounds good."


	73. Vol. 15, Ch. 5

Earthland-2, Fernandes Estate, X784: Jellal

Jellal watched Laxus reach the horizon, the enormous Dragon Slayer waving without looking as he wandered past the hills and out of sight. _Take care of yourself out there, Laxus._ He turned to go back to the manor, then paused as a flash of light burst in the distance. When he looked, Jellal could see an enormous spiral of clouds in the direction of Magnolia. _Whoa. Now that's a storm. If I can see lightning from here – and it's not Laxus, he went the other way – it must be the wrath of the gods out there._

The Shield of Fiore spent the rest of his day attending to long-neglected Fernandes investments. "How's the Heartfilia bailout working, Alphonse?" Jellal asked as they started on lunch.

The butler shook his head and chuckled. "Finally turning a profit, Master Jellal. Honestly, saving a corporate empire so one of your friends won't feel sad about her former servants losing their jobs?" He sighed and sliced at a piece of salmon. "And you were going on about being a 'real Fairy Tail wizard' this morning. Good grief."

"It's more than just Lucy," Jellal insisted. "If the Heartfilia Concern had collapsed, it would have been bad for Ishgar's economy. We're still recovering from the collapse of Phantom Lord." He grimaced and looked away. "Too many of them just up and vanished. I'd give three teeth to know where Jose Porla is right now..."

After a brief afternoon break calling Siegrain – making sure that he hadn't had a Tower-related relapse, and that the Council wasn't treating him they way they had Jellal himself – the rest of the day went into signing papers and going over contracts.

Alphonse handed Jellal an L-comm. "Here. I know you want to call them. I'll start dinner. Sir." He nodded and went to the kitchen. Jellal sighed, leaned back, relaxed for a moment, and tapped the runes for the Fairy Tail guild hall.

Nothing.

Jellal blinked and typed again. Still nothing. _What the Grim? No interference, no service interruption, it's not blocked – they're just not there._ He frowned. _I suppose Natsu might have destroyed the guild L-comm again...and Mira's backup...and her other hidden backup..._ Worry coiled in his belly, a viper made of fear hissing inside him. _No. Don't panic. There's a logical explanation._ He typed the code for Magnolia City Hall.

Nothing. Again. _Maybe a little panic is in order,_ Jellal worried, trying Mercurius next. "Blossom Knights, Captain Arcadios speaking – Lord Jellal!" The famed knight bowed in the lacrima image. "How may I be of service, Shield of Fiore?"

Jellal's face grew warm. "No need to go on, Captain. I certainly wasn't expecting to speak to someone of your rank or importance." _He'll probably lead the knights one day._ "It's just, I'm having some trouble getting through to Magnolia. Are you aware of any difficulties in communications in the area?"

Arcadios' mouth became a grim line. "We, too, have lost contact with Magnolia District. I've sent a scout to – what?!" He turned away from the L-comm, gaping at someone off-crystal. "What do you mean, Magnolia is _gone?!"_

Jellal's heart stopped. _Gone? That's – that's not possible –_ He felt light-headed as he grabbed the crystal with both hands. "Arcadios. Arcadios! What's going on?"

"Lord Jellal." Again, the knight bowed. "I must ask you to not speak publicly of this. If there's any chance that the report is inaccurate – an illusion, teleportation, anything that can be reversed – we must prevent a panic if possible." Jellal's eyes went wide enough to hurt. "If you were to investigate personally, on the other hand, I am certain the royal family would be grateful."

"I'll be in touch." He deactivated the L-comm, his eyes staring into nothing. _Magnolia...Fairy Tail..._ Erza _...all gone..._ A drop of blood fell from Jellal's hand before he even knew he'd made a fist. _And I just_ sat _here, playing with my toys like a useless fool, because I might get too weepy! Damn it!_ With a gesture, the Starburst summoned his breastplate and cloak. Alphonse gasped. "Sir, where are you going?"

"Magnolia's gone. I'm going to go find it." Jellal strode toward the door, opening it with a gesture. "The gods have mercy on whoever attacked my home, because I won't."

"Be careful, Master Jellal," Alphonse whispered. Jellal turned with a gasp. The old butler smiled. "No, sir, I'm not going to try to stop you. Just remember: you are not permitted to consider your life to be insignificant."

Jellal nodded. "Mm!" he agreed, then strode out the door and shot through the sky.

The trip to Magnolia was exhausting. He had to slow down twice to gulp air and starlight in great mouthfuls to recharge, even in his panic. At last, he approached the swirling clouds, and found...nothing. Where Magnolia stood, only a great field of gray remained, a disc of dull emptiness punctuated by floating bubbles. In desperation, Jellal put two fingers to his head. _Simon, Warren, Meredy, can you hear me?_  None of the telepaths responded. _Erza! It's me!_ Her silence was more terrible than the ruin around him. _Milli, Ultear, Wally, Gray, Myst –_

_Star?_ His Edolas counterpart reached back to him, shaking and exhausted. _Thank God. Please, I need you – Fairy Tail needs you –_ Without a second thought, Jellal rocketed to his world-brother's side. He'd removed his mask, and Jellal looked at a man with his face for the second time that day. "Ah. Huh." Mystogan leaned on his favorite staff, the one with the metal fin on top, and took a deep breath. "I suppose I should be surprised that you took this long, not that you got here at all."

"Where is Fairy Tail?" Jellal demanded. Mystogan pointed up. For a moment, the Starburst found nothing. _Magic begins as a sense,_ he reminded himself, and reached out with his mystic awareness. He felt for energies of Wave, life, spirit, anything. "Wait...Anima?"

"Too powerful to close," Myst admitted, shaking his head. "I knew Father was desperate, but this – he's ready to kill everyone in Magnolia to steal this world's magic." He squeezed his eyes shut. "We must stop him."

Jellal put a hand on Myst's shoulder. "We will. Tell me what to do."

"He's transformed Magnolia into a giant lacrima," Myst explained, and Jellal's heart froze again. "They're alive, Star. As long as they're in crystal form, they're suspended in magic, as magic. Even breaking the crystal won't kill them, as long as decent-sized chunks remain intact." Jellal breathed and nodded. "Dragon Slayer magic will free them. Your Devil Slayer powers might work as well, but let Gajeel try first. For now, take this." Myst took out a bottle of some kind of medicine and handed Jellal a spherical pill.

Without hesitation, Jellal swallowed the medicine. "What does it do?" he asked.

Myst's smile was less sad than before. "It will allow you to use magic in Edolas. Here, take a few in case you're able to free some of the others." Jellal focused, pulling together enough metal from the earth to create a small vial, and Myst poured several of the pills into it.

"How does it work?" Jellal asked, peering at the tiny spheres.

"It's basically a micro-Anima, connecting you to Earthland," Myst explained. "It only works on Earthland wizards, for reasons I presume are obvious." Jellal nodded. "You'll have help. The Dragon Slayers and Exceeds were protected by their magic, and Horologium rescued Lucy .They needed help getting through the portal, but you should be able to manage on your own. I'll follow as soon as I can. Please hurry."

Again, Jellal nodded. Then he crouched and chanted, "Meteor." Like a rocket, he shot up, flying into the clouds, the disc of light, through a tunnel of shining colors and stars between space –

Jellal emerged into a skyscape of floating islands covered in lacrima, rivers that flowed through the air, birds that were fish and fish that were birds, and a velvet sky that seemed frankly impossible. _Mavis and Chronos. This...this is Edolas?_ He stared, awestruck by the vista before him. _It must have torn Myst in half to leave._

Shaking his head quickly, Jellal focused and concentrated. In an instant, he had both distance and bearing. _It's going to be a bit of a trip,_ he realized. Taking one last, long breath for power, he exploded across the alien sky. _Hang on. I'm coming!_


	74. Vol. 15, Ch. 6

Edolas-2, Royal City, X784: Jellal

A city as large as Crocus, designed to be one massive, spiral fortress, sprawled below Jellal. Situated around the central tower were a handful of airships, each the size of their largest counterparts in Ishgar. A strange battle was taking place, a group of flying wizards struck by beams of blue power that melded Wave and Transformation Magic. _Hm. Not good._ As he examined what was clearly the capitol, a burst of pain ripped through him, along with a familiar roar of defiance. _Natsu!_ Terror on his behalf followed, terror born from innocence ripped weeping from a child's kind heart – _WENDY –_

Some tiny corner of Jellal's mind noted the sheer folly of smashing his way through several walls, floors, and security systems. The rest of him was howling in unrelenting fury and could not have possibly cared less. The city shuddered when he landed, a pair of absurdly tall doors reduced to shards on either side of him.

An old man shorter than Wendy stood before her, some odd hose in his hand, while the manacled healer trembled. Natsu hung from identical chains, pale and lifeless. The tiny man looked over his shoulder at the Starburst, who resisted the urge to reduce the man to pudding. "Let. Them. Go," Jellal panted, Cosmic Magic roaring around his fists.

"Jellal!" Wendy gasped, her recoiling horror becoming a smile that lit the darkness.

Natsu chuckled. "See, Bite-O?" he coughed. "Told ya they'd come for us."

"It's _Byro!"_ the old man shouted, pumping a fist at the fire mage. _Huh. He's tucking his other hand into his coat,_ Jellal noted. _Usually, the crazy is its own excuse. This one's canny._ Byro spun an instant later, a dark blue fluid darting out from a bottle. "Storm Liquid!" he snarled, and the potion became a triple tornado.

Jellal smiled his fury, then inhaled, swallowing all three cyclones. He wiped his mouth Natsu-style, the Sky Devil Slayer feeling his power return with interest. "'Now that I've eaten, I'm re-energized,'" he quoted, nodding to the rose-haired warrior.

Byro gaped. "Impossible! Lungs can't survive that...I can't analyze it." He snarled and reached into his coat again.

 _I don't have time for this._  Natsu was fighting to stay conscious, and Wendy's joy was drained away by the pain of being suspended from her arms. "You're in my way. Cosmic Fireworks!" The crackling stream of sparks flared around the alchemist, sending him flying to the other side of the room. _Better._ Jellal reached out with both hands, making fists, and shattered all the chains holding the Dragon Slayers in place. He caught them in the same telekinetic force before they could fall, then raced to their side. "Hang on," he breathed, reaching for Myst's medicine.

The floor rumbled around them. _What?_ Jellal wondered, checking the room. His eyes bulged and went round at the sight of a tentacle the size of a small horse erupting from Byro's rapidly-growing frame. More tentacles lashed out, grasping for the Dragon Slayers. "Solid Seal!" Jellal chanted, his barrier shaking under the assault. "Now what?"

Byro cackled, nearing the size of a fully giant Master Makarov. "Octopus Liquid!" he explained, stomping towards the three wizards. "I drank it!"

"Oh, for..." Jellal held his forehead for a moment. _Just a moment._ He looked up, smile returning twice as sharp. "Well, well. An enemy I don't have to hold back against."

"You were _holding back?_ What are you?!" Byro gasped, recoiling in a mass of rising tentacles.

"A Fairy Tail wizard. _Meteor!"_ Jellal pounded the alchemist-turned monster twenty times in a single second, flying back to land between Natsu and Wendy. Byro collapsed into a pile of calamari, tongue lolling out and eyes swirling. _Much better._

The beaten enemy forgotten, he propped up Wendy and Natsu and gave each one of Myst's pills. Then he created a small whirlwind at Wendy's lips, and a torch-sized flame in his palm by Natsu's hand. Wendy coughed, Natsu gasped, and they both ate of their elements. _It's not much, but it should get them back on their feet –_

There was an explosion above them. "JELLAL!" Carla screamed.

Wendy gasped. "Stay here!" Jellal ordered, stretching his Solid Seal to shield them entirely, then raced through the corridors.

"Over here!" Carla shouted, more controlled the second time. She was carrying a goop-bound Lucy while the spirit wizard cradled Happy. Jellal gritted his teeth at the abuse all three had taken, scooping up Lucy in his arms. "We have to go. The Fairy Hunter is after us!"

Jellal blinked. "Fairy Hunter?" he asked, then shook his head. "Later. Follow me." He darted through corridors and wounds in the walls, most of the latter his own creation, and brought the trio to Natsu and Wendy.

The younger Dragon Slayer was sitting up, tears trickling down her face, while Natsu snarled and pressed against the Seal. "What was that supposed to – Happy!" Natsu's anger vanished at the sight of his Exceed partner, and the Solid Seal disappeared along with it.

Happy darted into his lifelong friend's arms. "Natsu!" he cried, and the two hugged one another. Jellal smiled, exhaling in relief as Wendy and Carla had an identical reunion. _Carla's crying even more than Happy,_ Jellal thought, freeing Lucy with a gesture and a ripple of telekinesis.

Lucy shook out her wrists, then smiled at Jellal, tears in her eyes. "Jellal – thank goodness!" she said, shuddering in relief. _Not to mention shaking from her injuries,_ Jellal realized, looking down and quivering from the effort to control his fury. "A-are you all right?"

"Just angry," Jellal admitted. "I should have been there."

"Devil Slayers aren't immune," Natsu pointed out. Jellal's eyes widened, and he turned to face the Dragon Slayer. "They got Gray too. So." He smiled his impossible smile. "Thank you!"

Wendy gasped. "Yes! Thank you very much!" she insisted, bowing several times in rapid succession. Happy and Carla chuckled.

 _Wait, did Carla just laugh?_ Jellal blinked. "You're welcome. How much did I miss?"

"What do you know of Edolas?" Carla asked.

"Myst has filled me in on the basics over the years – how only Exceeds are Casters here, the enchanted devices, the dying ether, his crazy father, Extalia and its Death Magic queen," Jellal explained. "Other than Magnolia being town-napped, though, I'm not up on current events."

Before any of them could answer, the remains of the wall around the doorway exploded. The entire Fairy Tail group shouted and leaped back, Jellal throwing another Solid Seal up to block the debris. "I'm done playing nice!" Jellal snarled, crouching and gathering Cosmic Magic in both hands. His fingers were curled as though he were baring claws.

"I-I've never seen Jellal like this..." Wendy whispered.

"Jellal?" The Starburst froze in disbelief at the voice. It was as familiar as his own heartbeat, but at the same time utterly alien. _It can't be..._ Through the cloud walked a scantily-clad woman with unmistakable hair, but her eyes were cold and merciless. _Erza,_ Jellal realized, _but not Erza._ His righteous fury drained away in spite of the imperious look she turned on them. "So, you finally dared to return. I didn't think you had the courage."

"I'm Jellal Fernandes," he whispered, the spells in his hands changing as he spoke, "his Earthland counterpart."

"Huh?" Natsu blurted. "Edo-Jellal is on Earthland?"

"Mystogan," Jellal explained. They all gaped except Wendy, who nodded after a moment. "It's why we're so close. You're the Erza of this world?"

"Erza Knightwalker, Captain of the Second Magic Regiment, Royal Army of Edolas," she announced, pointing a four-bladed polearm at them. "Given how different our counterparts seem to be, you must be quite brave."

Jellal hissed in barely-contained outrage. "Even an Erza doesn't get to talk about Myst that way. He's braver than I could ever be."

When Knightwalker looked away, doubt crept back into his fury. "If you believe you're telling the truth, you wouldn't be the first warrior he's fooled. He betrayed our homeland."

"If by 'betrayed,' you mean 'stopped Edolas from murdering entire cities,' then I'm fine with that," Jellal retorted, eyes narrowing. "Whatever trouble you're in, give Magnolia back and we can talk. Otherwise..."

Knightwalker braced herself. Jellal flinched, and her smile was cruel and sharp. "Don't make threats you can't deliver on! Ten Commandments, Mel Fo–"

The last remnants of the room's integrity exploded away, and the dust cloud was made thicker by a storm of frost. Jellal used all the Earth Magic at his disposal to keep the roof over their heads, but ice pillars formed to brace it before he had to prop up the entire castle. _Wait, ice?_

All the Fairy Tail wizards' jaws dropped at the sight of Gray standing between the group and the army, while their Erza parried Knightwalker's spear. "Gray! Erza!" Lucy exulted. Happy cheered.

"Do you not recognize an offer of mercy when you hear one?" Scarlet asked, watching her counterpart with a calm gaze. Sword pressed against spear, neither giving a pebble's worth of ground.

"You think your Jellal can save two entire worlds?" Knightwalker snapped, pressing closer to her double.

"He's our miracle," Scarlet replied, grinning. "When he's done rescuing your people, my Jellal will probably overthrow your king _and_ the Exceed queen for an encore!" Jellal's face burned as though Natsu had roared across it.

Knightwalker glanced from Erza to Jellal and back, the tip of her spear lowering for a moment. _Please,_ he begged. "We will save ourselves!" Knightwalker roared, charging at his Erza. _Oh, no._

"AAAAH!" Natsu screamed. "Erza vs. Erza? It's the battle of the unstoppable monsters!"

"Snap out of it, Natsu!" Gray barked. "Ice-Make: Rampart!" The eleven-year-old in Jellal exulted at the sight of the great barrier spell, twin to the one that had walled off his tormentor so many years ago. The rest of him rebelled at the thought of abandoning his beloved to her evil counterpart. "We have to leave this to our Erza."

"It's her battle," Natsu agreed. "Meanwhile, we'll find the king and stop them from using the dragon-cannon-thing to smash the guild into Exceed Land!"

"Extalia," Carla said, arms folded.

"Right!" Gray, Lucy, and Happy said as one.

"Somehow, I don't think they were agreeing with me," Carla sighed, one paw on her forehead.

"Okay!" Wendy interjected. "Meanwhile, Carla and I will go to Extalia."

"Wha–why?" Lucy blurted, eyes wide. "That's too dangerous!"

 _Gray's right. Erza will be fine,_ Jellal decided. "Natsu. Can you manage without me?" he asked.

All the other humans blinked at him. "You're going with Wendy?" Natsu asked, peering at Jellal from several angles at once as he blurred around the star mage. "Don't you want to beat up the king?"

Jellal shook his head. "I'm more concerned about the reception Wendy and Carla will get in the only Edolas kingdom with Caster mages," he explained. _Not to mention I'm the only one here who might survive the queen's Death Magic,_ he thought, _but I'm not telling them that._ "Besides, the guild's up there – we still have to save them. Gray, how did you get free?"

"Gajeel," he explained. "Dragon Slayer magic can undo the crystallization. Apparently, it can do a lot of things here."

"Myst mentioned that part," Jellal muttered. _Mm. Too many pieces moving at once._

Happy nodded. "Got it! I'll take Gajeel to the crystal!" With that, he soared off without hesitation.

Jellal gasped in time with Lucy. "Wait, Happy!" Lucy cried.

Carla watched the blue Exceed vanish with calm resolve, arms folded. "He'll be fine," she insisted. Jellal smiled. _Well. Looks like "Tomcat" might be getting a name upgrade soon._

"All right!" Natsu cheered, fire-covered fist pumping in the air. "No Jellal Meteor-hogging the enemy! I'm all fired up!" With that, the Dragon Slayer ran off, Gray and Lucy quick to follow.

"Now that they're gone," Carla grumped, "why are we going back to Extalia?"

"I know Natsu and the others will stop the cannon," Wendy said, "but what if the army has other weapons? We have to warn them!"

"Besides," Jellal added, "we have a more urgent mission."

Carla turned to look at Jellal, her expression as enigmatic as ever. To Jellal's hyper-sensitive empathy, though, he could feel her grief and turmoil as if it were his own. "Do you really think Extalia deserves our help, Jellal?"

"They're people, Carla," Wendy insisted, her voice and smile gentle. "This is something we can do. Right?"

"We can't leave them to die," Jellal whispered, "but there's another problem. Queen Shagotte is said to have the power to kill anyone in Edolas. We have to neutralize her before she targets our nakama."

Wendy gasped. Carla swallowed and looked up at Jellal, looking less certain than he'd ever seen her. "Can...can you stop her?" the feline asked.

"I think so, but there's only one way to find out," Jellal admitted. "Let's fly." As they did, he reached out to Erza's thoughts. She and Knightwalker were staring each other down, each sporting a few cuts, taking the other's measure. _Erza. Don't die. We have a lot to talk about when we get home._

 _We...what? Oh!_  Joy poured through the bond as she caught his meaning. _Well then. It seems I must overcome myself to be with you again. I suppose that's been true for a long time._

In spite of the situation, Jellal couldn't help but laugh as he, Wendy, and Carla rocketed towards the city in the sky.


	75. Vol. 15, Ch. 7

Edolas-2, Royal City, X784: Lucy

_Finally!_  In spite of the desperate chase, for the first time since Mystogan had sent her here, Lucy wasn't scared. _The team's back together, and we have a plan. Well, a goal._ She couldn't help smiling as she stole a glance at the two boys ahead of her. _I know better than to make plans when it's just me, Gray, and Natsu._

Gray opened a door, and –

"WHAAAT?!" they all blurted.

_There really_ is _an amusement park in here!_

The next thirty minutes were the most bizarre of her life, even after more than three months in Fairy Tail. An attack from a rocking ship, roller coasters that trap their victims in them, Gray _throwing_ her at the roller coaster, their attacker taking a picture of her and Natsu on said coaster, Aquarius being matched by the wand guy's control of water, getting kidnapped by a cosplay casket, chased by a horde of movie monsters while stuck with Natsu's idiotic sexy outfit idea – _Earthland has nothing on Edolas for weird!_ Running into the dog-suit girl with the burned feet would have almost been anti-climactic, if she hadn't been in such obvious pain.

"Co-co." Lucy froze at the woman's sing-song voice. _What? No, it can't be! Please, not again! I can't face another enemy with a sister's face!_ Coco trembled and clutched at the strange rod she held. "Coco! Even you can't run from me. There's no escape, and you know it."

The woman turned the corner, entering their corridor. Lucy stared in horror as Ultear strode toward them in a skirted military uniform with knee-length boots and flat-top shoulder pads, a pouch identical to the one holding Lucy's keys on Ultear's hip. In fact, Edo-Ultear held a gleaming key in one hand, and she waggled it as she stalked toward them. "Princess...Ultear..." Coco gasped, holding the rod tighter. Lucy's jaw dropped. _Princess?!_

Ultear's smile vanished. "The key. Give it to me." She pointed her own key at them, eyes gleaming as they went steel-hard.

Lucy gasped. _My keys? Which one is she after?_ With a snarl of defiance, she reached into her pouch. "You want a key? Try this! Open, Gate of the Bull! Taurus!" Her warrior appeared in a blaze of celestial light, his fierce battle cry echoing through the hall. Even Ultear paused at the sight of his appearance.

Which meant, of course, that he had to ruin it immediately by turning a heart-eyes look on her. "That's the best outfit yet, Lady Lucy!" he cheered, a trickle of drool dangling from his lip. Then he whirled around, leering at Edo-Ultear. "Oh, but Miss Ultear looks so good in a uniform!"

"She's not our Ultear, Taurus!" Lucy blurted. "Stop her!"

Taurus gaped at Lucy, then drooped, sighing. Then summoner and spirit alike turned shocked looked on Ultear as she laughed. "Oh, how wonderful." Her smile went thin, sharp, and cruel again. "I like beef." She pulled out a key of her own. "As long as it's well done. SIDRAT Gate: Sea of Flame!" A circular portal opened to the doorbell sound Lucy's keys made, except an octave lower, and a jet of fire lashed out, slamming into Taurus.

"Taurus!" Lucy cried. Her warrior-spirit vanished, unconscious. "What kind of key is that?"

"Watch out! Princess Ultear can open gateways to other places with her keys!" Coco warned.

Ultear smirked and switched out one dark key for another. "My portals are more than a match for whatever Earthland magic you may possess. SIDRAT Gate: Pit of Storms!"

For just a moment, Lucy thought she was beaten as several squalls lashed out at her. _No! Remember your training! Fairy Tail wizards never give up!_ Clenching her teeth, she switched keys of her own. "Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"

Virgo hit Edo-Ultear from below with a fantastic uppercut, sending them both flying. "Hnn!" Ultear grunted. "You'll regret this, Earthlander!"

"It is you who will be punished," Virgo retorted, two-handed fist raised and glowing. "Spica Hole!" Ultear yelped and opened another gateway below her, darting through it. Virgo only clipped the Edolas mage as she vanished. Lucy exhaled in relief. _Well, at least that should slow her down._ The Maiden spirit appeared at her side. "Princess, punishment time now?"

"What? Why?!" Lucy blurted.

Another gateway opened above them. Edo-Ultear fell from it, a white-clad Jellal surrounded by a crimson aura following her. "To take me lightly is to dig your own grave, Earthland!" Ultear snarled. "Prince Siegrain!"

Lucy's eyes nearly popped out. _"Siegrain?_ He's a prince here too?!"

"It will be my pleasure, darling," Siegrain grinned. "Red Star!" He held out his palm, and a crimson ball of force lashed out. Lucy screamed, barely dodging even with Virgo's help.

"W-wait! I thought there was only one kingdom left here!" Lucy wailed. Ultear pointed another key at Coco, pinning her in a strange dark space field. "Doesn't that make you brother and sister?"

Virgo scooped Lucy up and carried her away from Siegrain's charge. "Are you sure that is our primary concern now, Princess?" Virgo asked. "Isn't it impossible for humans to wield magic here?"

"Oh, there used to be other nations," Siegrain explained, still firing red orbs of flame, "but Extalia didn't want the trouble of dealing with several monarchs, so Queen Ur Song is our 'guest.' She's safe as long as Ultear works for my father."

Ultear whirled on Edo-Siegrain, eyes wide. "Sieg, what's wrong with you? King Faust said that he'd kill my mother if I told anyone about that!"

Siegrain's smile made Lucy gape in shock. _It's...so gentle..._ "That's why I said it, Ullie. You work so hard to seem mean. I hate it when people believe that. Your heart is kind. My father shouldn't force you to hide that."

"Th-that's nonsense!" Ultear pumped a fist at Lucy. "I invented the Anima spell! I created the Dragon Chain Cannon and the ETD Rays to destroy Extalia! I implanted the lacrima in Siegrain to grant him magic! I'm a wicked mad scientist!"

"Yeah, sorry," Lucy retorted, chuckling, "your boyfriend just ruined your evil rep."

"Also, she implanted the lacrima in me to protect me from the Reaper Queen's Death Magic," Siegrain added, chuckling. Lucy's jaw dropped. _Reaper Queen? Just what kind of magic monster is this Exceed, anyway?_

Ultear growled and pointed a key at Siegrain. "Go fight Earthland Jellal!" she ordered, and Siegrain vanished. She pointed another key at Lucy. "As for you, disappear! SIDRAT Gate: Flying Mountain!" Lucy recoiled in terror. _WHAT?! She's going to summon a mountain?_ When the gate opened, however, raw force poured through it, sending Lucy and Virgo flying. Ultear laughed again. "Some of the islands defy gravity, little girl, but others are propelled by tremendous force. I have all the power of Edolas, literally at my fingertips. I have Coco and the cannon key!" She posed, two more keys held between her fingers like throwing knives. "Oh, and I never liked your counterpart. Beg for mercy, Earthland!"

Lucy smacked into a large red crystal sphere, barely managing to hang on. "I'm not her!" she objected. Then Lucy blinked. "She's not as bad as she pretends to be, though – eek!" The Celestial Mage slipped an inch, and gripped the crystal tighter.  _It's a coach on a Ferris wheel –_ Lucy looked down, and could barely make out the floor – _a really_ big _Ferris wheel!_

"Princess, take this!" Virgo cried, throwing a cylinder to Lucy. The spirit's throw embedded the artifact in the crystal, leaving Lucy screaming again. "It is Fleuve d'étoiles, the Eridanus River of Stars – a spirit whip that can extend and retract as you will it.

"I pray for your success. Though I don't think it will help much," Virgo admitted.

"Please don't be so negative!" Lucy replied.

"SIDRAT Gate: Caldera!" Far below, a stream of lava tore away the base of the Ferris wheel, and it began to topple. "You're mine, Earthland!"

With a flick of her wrist and faith in Virgo, Lucy concentrated. A stream of water and starlight shot from the handle, gripping a battlement on the amusement park castle. _It did work! Thank you, Virgo!_ She swung away from Edo-Ultear, landing on a parapet. "Ultear, please! I know you don't want to do this!"

"North...tower," Coco sobbed. "Queen Ur's...chained to the floor. There's a bomb. Her husband and her champions used ice weapons, but...Master Gildarts and Sir Lyon are dead..." Ultear began to cry. "...and Sir Gray is in Fairy Tail."

"You're saying ice could stop the bomb?" Lucy called. Coco nodded. Edo-Ultear stared at Coco in shock. "Thank you, Coco!"

"Why..." Ultear whispered. "...why are you doing this?"

Coco clutched the rod-key tighter. "Lily...the king is going to kill Lily...is this what it's like for you, being afraid for your mother? I'm so sorry, Princess Ultear..."

Ultear gritted her teeth and trembled, "The Reaper Queen killed my father! I'll save Mom after Shagotte's in her grave!"

"And you'll kill my friends to do it?!" Lucy shook, fear giving way to outrage. "Do you think you can look your mother in the eye after that?"

There was the deep-tone doorbell sound again, and Ultear appeared on a nearby tower. "My Anima shouldn't have hurt anyone. Your world has unlimited magic. But Prince Jellal...he wouldn't compromise, wouldn't stop..." She looked down, features hidden by a curtain of hair, fists shaking at her waist. "I didn't want this...I _never_  wanted this..."

"Ultear..." Lucy bit her lip. _We've got to help them!_

The wall beside them exploded, and Natsu burst through, his fist firmly planted in Hughes' cheek. Natsu roared while Hughes twitched. They both landed on a third parapet, the wand-wielding Edolas captain decidedly unconscious. "Natsu!" Lucy cheered.

"Whoa!" Natsu shouted, hand shading his eyes as he looked at the two key-wielders. "Is that Ultear?"

"It's Edolas Ultear," Lucy explained. "She's with the army, but only because they have her mom!" The spirit mage clutched Virgo's key and shook her head. "This king – he's awful – we have to stop him, Natsu!"

"Mmmmm," a new man replied, "you can't judge a king the way you do other men." A knight in pink armor strode in, a massive one-handed sword resting on his shoulder. "His Majesty must concern himself with the fate of our whole world. He must be willing to sacrifice one woman, or even a city, if it saves everyone else."

"I didn't tell them, Sugar Boy," Ultear blurted. "It was Siegrain and Coco–!"

Sugar Boy nodded. "Siegrain told me with that wonderful mind magic you gave him, mmmmm. Now, you really need to give up, boy." He pointed his sword at Natsu.

That was when Gray burst in on a motorcycle. "Not so fast, chinny! I'm your opponent!" One glance at the crying Edo-Ultear, though, brought him to a literally screeching halt. "What?"

"Gray! Let Natsu fight Sugar Boy! Please!" Lucy called. "You might be the only one who can save this world's Ur!"

Ultear stared at the Devil Slayer, eyes wide. "Gray...it's not possible..."

Gray looked from Ultear to Natsu and back. "Natsu! You'd better beat that chinny creep good, you hear me?!"

Natsu grinned and nodded. "I'm all fired up!"

"Ultear, please," Lucy begged, "let us help you!"

"Trust them, sister," Lady Voice – Ultear-1 – whispered from beyond. Edo-Ultear stared upward with a gasp. "If you know this world's Gray, you know its Fairy Tail. Have faith in them."

"Lyon..." Ultear looked away, shaking her head. "Knightwalker killed him. And here I am in the same army...I don't have the right–"

"It's not about your right, damn it!" Gray shouted, fist slamming into his guild mark like a salute. "It's about what's right! Now come on – take us to Ur!"

Ultear looked at Sugar Boy and Hughes, then Lucy, and at last settled on Gray. "Don't let her down." She did something with the field that was holding Coco, and it switched from pinning her in a grip of solid nothing to cradling her in a bowl of solid nothing. _Weird._

"Never again. _I promise."_ Gray pounded his palm with his fist, and frost rippled from it. Edo-Ultear sighed and nodded, then led them out. Sugar Boy charged toward them, but Natsu intercepted him with a blast, and their battle faded in the distance as Ultear's keys let Gray tow them along on his borrowed motorcycle. She created openings in walls with a golden key, and they raced north and upward.

"Okay, I've gotta ask," Lucy admitted, "what the heck does 'sigh-drat' mean?"

"S.I.D.R.A.T. – Space and Inter-Dimensional Relative All-purpose Transporter," Ultear explained. "I got the idea from a lacrima show I watched as a little girl. I developed the magic for exploration, when...when there were still legal guilds."

Before Lucy could say anything more, they burst into a room the size of a small building. They were surrounded by exquisite furniture, paintings, and magic devices. A grand piano gleamed in one corner, while a massive lacrima screen covered part of a wall. Sitting on a bed, ignoring all of it – _though I guess that's because she's staring at us,_ Lucy noted – was an Ur dressed in a beautiful pale blue gown. Queen Ur's eyes bulged wide, but Lucy missed the other details when she saw the chain that led from a manacle on one of Ur's ankles to a bolt in the center of the floor. "Ultear?" Ur gasped.

"Mom!" Ultear rushed to the queen's side, then mother and daughter hugged and sobbed.

After a few seconds, Ur looked up, checking the room. "The guards?"

"Heh." Gray pointed in the direction they'd come from. Only ice could be seen in their wake. "I took care of it, Master."

Ur blinked, staring at Gray. "'Master?' And where's your shirt?" Gray yelped and closed his jacket. _I don't think that's going to help..._

"Oh!" Ultear let her mother go, then bowed. "Mother, these are the Gray Surge and Lucy Ashley of Earthland."

"Gray Fullbuster, actually," their Gray corrected. "And she's–" he added, pointing a thumb at Lucy.

"Honored to meet you, Your Majesty!" Lucy interjected, bowing quickly. "Gray's going to freeze the bomb and get you out of here!"

Ur turned back to Ultear. "But how? He's unarmed."

"Lucy, summon Aries and get everyone behind her Wool Magic," Gray ordered, walking to the chain bolt.

"Right! Come on, everyone into the corner!" Lucy, Coco, Ur, and Ultear gathered behind the piano. "Open, Gate of the Ram! Aries!"

"Sorry!" Aries blurted, conjuring pink wool all around them. _Remember what Karen said – when creating a shield, it's not about how thick the wool is, it's about coverage._ In moments, they were completely surrounded by a curving wall of pink fluff.

"Ice-Make...GLACIER!" Gray roared, and all of Lucy's planning shattered when a burst of magic as powerful as an explosion tore the tower below them apart. Ice sheathed the floor, then replaced it, rippling over and consuming everything in its wake. Ur's chain gave way suddenly, and the former queen fell over.

_That left a hole –_ Lucy pointed at the small gap in the wool shield. "Aries!"

"Oi oi," Gray called, and his eye filled the opening, "have a little more faith in your team."

With a small pop, the wool barrier vanished. "S-sorry!" Aries stuttered, then vanished as well. Gray stood and grinned. The whole floor had been swallowed up by a massive block of ice.

"Wow..." Coco whispered, pressing her bare feet tentatively against the floor. She relaxed the longer she stood on the ice. _Must be good for the burns?_ Lucy wondered. "So this is Earthland magic."

"There's lots of different kinds," Gray explained. "Ultear? Can you get us back to Natsu?"

"Fireball?" Ultear chuckled. "He's certainly different from our Natsu. I'll find him." She became serious in an eyeblink. "You saved my mother. I'm with you now, to the end." Ur smiled, and Lucy imagined that she could feel the pride glowing from her. _Now, let's go save our guild!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOTATION: In classic Doctor Who, a SIDRAT is a cheap TARDIS knock-off.


	76. Vol. 15, Ch. 8

Edolas-2, Extalia, X784: Wendy

Wendy reeled from the unexpected blow as the rock bounced off her forehead. "You have no idea how powerful our queen is!" one of the Exceeds laughed.

"We're Exceeds!" another shouted. "We're far beyond you humans!" One of the rocks struck Carla, who staggered. Wendy threw herself over her best friend, shielding the Exceed with her body. The mocking catcalls grew in number and volume. _Maybe...maybe Carla was right..._ Wendy sobbed quietly.

The ground shook, and the rain of stones stopped. Wendy and Carla looked up, joyous smiles spreading across both their faces. Jellal stood there, bathed in sapphire magic, carrying an Edolas warrior in one hand. The Starburst tossed the man to the ground – _wait, is that_ another _Jellal?_ Wendy wondered – and folded his arms. Chalk in every color of the rainbow drew symbols around him as he glared at the Exceed people. "Your army isn't coming back," he said as Wendy stood, "unless _we_ save them. So. Where is your Reaper Queen?"

The Exceeds gasped. "How _dare_ you use that insult here? In sacred Extalia?" Another Exceed threw a rock at Jellal. He glared at it, and the stone halted in mid-air. "Lacrima freak! Lowly human devices can't save you, Prince Siegrain!"

"Dare? That," Jellal said, pointing at the unconscious figure beside him, "is Prince Siegrain of Edolas. I am Jellal Fernandes, born the lowest of the low on my world, but I command the power of the stars themselves." He held his hand high, and seven shining lights circled it. _What happened to him?_ Wendy wondered, staring at her kind big brother as he blazed with fury. "I've defied cowards who kept me a slave for six years, devil worshipers who sought to end the world, wizards with the power to destroy entire cities. There is _nothing_ I will not dare for my guild. So call your queen!" The symbols he'd drawn circled Jellal like worlds around a star. "Tell her that a mere human defies her in her own land! Let's see what your goddess Shagotte dares!"

The Exceeds howled in outrage, and several of them spread their wings and flew above the Starburst. Jellal clenched his fists, and a wave of raw power threw them all back. "Jellal!" Wendy cried. "It's okay, we're fine now." He panted, the way someone would when exhausted, but Wendy could sense the power flowing through him. _He's pouring so much magic through his body,_ she realized. _I hope he's all right..._

"I'm grateful, Wendy," Jellal whispered, "but protecting you and Carla was only the first half of my mission here. Now I must face..." he blinked as a group of Exceeds, four elders and one ageless woman in a massive robe, approached him on foot. The woman looked like an older Carla. Jellal raised an eyebrow at the procession.

The Exceeds cheered. "You wanted to meet the queen, human? Congratulations!" one cried.

"Destroy him with your magic, Your Majesty!" Another encouraged.

Jellal's lips formed a grim, tight line. "Wendy. Carla. Get behind me." With that, he slid into a ready stance, one hand out to parry, the other a fist close to his ribs. "Face me, Reaper Queen."

"Yes. I must," the woman said, stepping out of her robe.

Wendy blinked. _Wait...she's not..._ Queen Shagotte smiled, but her face, her scent, her voice – all were sad and resigned. "Your Majesty?" Wendy asked, taking a step closer.

Queen Shagotte walked to within arm's reach of Jellal, met his gaze, then bowed low, dropping to one knee. "I surrender," she said, most of the pain gone from her voice. "I submit myself to your judgement, star god. Just, please, save my people."

The Exceeds gaped. "WHAAAT?!" they cried as one. Horrified objections rose from the crowd, begging her to use her power and destroy their enemies.

"Everyone, please stand, and stay calm while I explain," Shagotte said. Her voice was soft and gentle. The Exceeds stared. "Our fate was meant to be inescapable, but it has been changed. Voices from afar have brought us a miracle in our last hour, one with the face of the boy we cast out alongside our greatest hero." She spread a lone wing from her back. "I am...a normal Exceed. I am not a queen, let alone a goddess. I can only apologize and submit myself to a richly deserved justice."

Jellal straightened, abandoning his combat stance. "You...you don't have any Death Magic," he whispered, turning from Shagotte to Carla and back. "Of course. Carla inherited her clairvoyance."

"Zen," Carla huffed. "I was bluffing! How difficult is that to understand?"

When Jellal turned, Carla stared at his gentle smile as if it were a demon. "I'm not sure what you're talking about," he said, running fingers through his untamable hair, "but the queen is your mother, Carla." Jellal faced Shagotte again, while Carla gaped in shock. "You didn't kill anyone, did you? It was just the knowledge of who would die, and when. And King Faust, in his terror, devised a desperate plan to save his people." With a sigh, Jellal placed a palm on his forehead. "Why would you begin this cycle of destruction?"

One of the elder answered. "Most of us are very weak," he explained. "Humans tormented us, hunted us, used us for our magic energy. So we, as the Elders, created the illusion of a god-queen with the power of life and death to protect the Exceeds, restore our confidence, and build a civilization of our own. Shagotte is not to blame. The humans were only meant to fear us enough to stop attacking–"

"You vile old cowards," Jellal spat. "You didn't stop at protecting your people – you set up Exceeds as the divine lords of the world, all while hiding behind the _best_ of you!" The elder Exceeds bowed their heads in admission as nii-san vented his rage. "You've sown the wind, and now that you reap the whirlwind you complain about the _turbulence?"_

"There is no time," Shagotte insisted. "You may have my life if you wish it, Master Jellal, but at this moment you are the only one who can save your home, and my people." She pointed to the east. In the distance, a red-orange light was burning towards them. "Your presence in Extalia was impossible, yet here you stand. I see countless deaths, but you can stop them. Once that is over, I will accept my fate as the villain of this tale."

Jellal walked over, knelt before Shagotte, put a hand on her shoulder, and smiled. "There are no villains here," he insisted, and the queen's eyes went wide with tears. "Only desperate people who want to protect those they love." Wendy sniffled and wiped her eyes. _Thank you...nii-san..._ Jellal stood and turned to Wendy. "I will stop the crystal, but your mission stands. Now that their secret is revealed, Extalia is vulnerable. Can you evacuate them?"

Wendy took a deep breath and nodded. "Mm! You can count on me, nii-san!" Jellal nodded back, then threw himself at the death of two cities, alone.


	77. Vol. 15, Ch. 9

Edolas-2, Royal City Airspace, X784: Jellal

_Uh-oh._

Jellal knew he had power equal to a Wizard Saint. He used to spar with Siegrain regularly. He had defeated the infamous Jose Porla. Yet in the face of the crystal mountain flying at an entire nation, he couldn't help feeling small and vulnerable. _This is bad. I had to go and be all cool – why of course I can stop a magic shooting star the size of a city, just another job from the mission board – and now everyone's counting on me._ He grimaced and pulled his chalk case from its place in his cloak pocket. _I don't dare hold anything back. All or nothing, this time._

With that, he stopped in mid-air, concentrating. Seventy pieces of chalk flew from the case, leaving only two for some even more dire emergency. _This has to be in multiples of five, anyway. Okay, Team Chalk, synch up._ Five sets of five formed up at the points of pentagrams, forming a five-pointed star of stars, nine more sets doing the same in a circle around the inner five. _And...go._ All seventy pieces started drawing the same five symbols, each in the same places on the star points. _Earth. Water. Air. Fire. Ether, or Wave if one prefers._ Jellal permitted himself a faint smile. _I can't believe I'm glad Laxus picked a fight. I just practiced this seal...yesterday? The day before? How long was I flying? On another world, it's hard to say._ The elemental Solid Seal formed, grew, and solidified as he concentrated. _Unbreakable, but flexible. A net of classic elements. All this is pointless if I destroy the crystal myself. The opposite of Abyss Break – a Shield of Sacred Stars._

"Oi, pretty boy! Nice sketch!" Jellal gaped as Gajeel laughed from the edge of the approaching island. The near edge of the island. Where he was bracing himself as if about to kick the Seal. _What is that madman doing?_

"Jellal?" Erza gasped, her team riding some great flying beast as they approached from below. "Is that you?"

"Yes," he called back. Then the island slammed into his Star Shield, and he could hear nothing but the roar of ether. Gritting his teeth, Jellal held back the end of all he loved with a web of chalk dust and determination. Seventy seals bent, twisted, and somehow held. Barely.

Dimly, he was aware of Gajeel bracing himself on one of the stars, pushing the island back. _Wait, how could that help? There's still pressure on the –_ Jellal shuddered as ethernano tore from him, bleeding a river of power, but somehow Gajeel's effort made that tearing more bearable. _Magic. Sometimes, it doesn't care about physics. Especially when Fairy Tail's involved._

Team Erza leaped to join the Dragon Slayer, pushing back with all their might. The flying steed joined in as well, slamming into the rock with a head butt. The strain on his web lessened, becoming manageable. "It's working!" he shouted. "Can anyone get to the Dragon Chain?"

"This is madness!" a huge, black-furred Exceed objected. "You can't stop this! Extalia is doomed! All you will do is die with it!"

"Ain't ya heard?" Gajeel laughed. "We got a miracle on our side, right, Erza? This thing's practically over already!"

"There are no miracles in this world!" the Exceed snarled back, flying at the Starburst. He stopped more than twenty feet away, staring with wide, trembling eyes. "Prince...Jellal..."

"I'm not your prince," Jellal hissed at the flying panther. "I'm his Earthland brother. If you're his enemy, if you're his _guild's_ enemy, then you're mine as well, so face me if you dare!" Only the strain kept him from slapping himself. _Brilliant, Jellal. You can't spare the energy to swat a fly, and you're challenging a giant panther man to battle. When did I turn into Natsu?_

"Keep it up just a little longer!" Ultear called out from beneath the island. _Good work, Gajeel!_ Jellal thought, but then the Devil Slayer looked below in surprise. _Edo-Ultear? Okay then,_ he guessed. "I can dig this thing out with just a few more minutes!" Jellal nodded, then tasted the faint metallic tang of blood on the roof of his mouth. _We may not have...a few minutes..._

Carla flew past, pushing against his Seal with all her might. "I'm not giving up!" she insisted. "Not on Fairy Tail! Not on Extalia! _I will protect them!"_ Happy gaped in amazement. Jellal knew how he felt. _Whoa. What did she have for breakfast?_ Another Exceed joined her, the one with the enormous head who couldn't stop pumping his fist. Then another. Two more. Four more. Ten. Twenty. A hundred.

Jellal stared in awe as the world became a storm of wings. He couldn't make out everything they were saying through the cacophony, but three sentiments were obvious: the Exceeds _were_ going to save their homeland, they were grateful for Fairy Tail's help, and they were deeply sorry for their previous behavior. Streaks of light shot to his Seal from every direction. _It's as though...the stars themselves have come down to save us..._

The one-winged queen faltered, then fell, dropping away. Somehow, Jellal found the strength to reach her with his telekinesis, pulling her to his arm – but that was one spell too many, and he tumbled earthward, and Erza screamed –

"I have you, my prince!" the giant Exceed roared, catching Jellal around the ribs with one arm.

"Pantherlily," Queen Shagotte whispered.

"You're Pantherlily? The Exceed who saved Myst?" Jellal blurted. The Seal began to give way again, and he focused on restoring it. _Of course...he was exiled, and saw Extalia's cruelty for what it was. If only he hadn't traded one desperate monarch for another._ The Starburst shook his head. "I'm sorry. I'm not your prince, or anyone else's."

"You are a prince of men, no matter your blood, Lord Jellal," Lily replied. Jellal blushed. "Are you tired of the lies, Your Majesty?"

Shagotte nodded. "Lily...I am so sorry..."

"So am I," Lily admitted. _Tired_ and _sorry, I think,_ Jellal realized. "Can you fly, Prince of Men?"

"Yes, but _please_ don't call me that where Earthlanders can hear," Jellal begged, floating at the heart of his Star Shield once more.

"Good." Pantherlily gently plucked Queen Shagotte from Jellal's arms, then shot toward the web of Seals. "Because no matter how much I hate it, Extalia is still my homeland! And if we have been granted hope so undeserved, then I will give my last breath to save it!" With fantastic strength, Lily threw his shoulder into the lacrima island, pushing it back. He seemed to turn the tide single-handedly.

Victory came in a rush. The titanic lacrima came to a halt, Edo-Ultear dug the chain clamp free, and a shining reverse-Anima beam warped the crystallized Magnolia away, in rapid succession. "It – it vanished," Gray gasped.

"They're home," Jellal called out, quickly spotting the figure that had to be above them. "Our backup's arrived."

"Magnolia has returned to Earthland," Mystogan explained, riding the same sort of beast Erza was on. _Legions, they're called Legions,_ he remembered at last. "It took some time to align the Anima field properly. I apologize for my tardiness." He took off his mask at last, revealing his face to all of Edolas. Jellal couldn't help a smile. "Lily. I'm grateful I could finally repay your kindness. Star, I am sorry that it seems I can never repay yours."

"You got Fairy Tail home, Your Highness," Jellal teased. Myst bowed his head a fraction. "I think we can call it even."

"Prince Jellal," Pantherlily breathed, while the Exceeds and Fairy Tail cheered. "Thank–"

A violet beam struck Pantherlily from behind, throwing him aside. From below, Knightwalker ascended on yet another Legion, her regiment at her back. "This isn't over yet, fairies!"

Jellal swept Pantherlily up in his telekinesis. "Knightwalker!" he roared, patience fraying. _She cut her hair. That'll help._ Myst flew past, carrying his Exceed friend away from the assault. "What insanity is this? Magnolia's gone, we saved Extalia, and you must know by now that the 'Reaper Queen' was a bluff. This war is over!"

"Not while we can still save magic for this world!" Knightwalker roared back, still flying at them. "The Exceeds will pay for terrorizing humanity by becoming our _fuel!"_

"For how long?" Jellal shot back, glaring. That slowed the false Erza at last. "I helped Extalia, and I'm willing to help you. I even have the same, simple condition – _stop trying to kill us!"_

**Music Cue: The Heart to Believe**

Knightwalker stared at him, and for the second time Jellal thought he saw a hint of his Erza in the captain's eyes. "You...would still..."

"Knightwalker!" Faust boomed from below. "Only you remain to put an end to our enemies. No Jellal can be trusted. Do not fail me!"

"Father has gone mad," Myst retorted, tending to Lily's wounds as his Legion circled Royal City airspace. "We have exhausted our magic. Edolas must learn to survive without it."

"What?" the Starburst blurted. "Myst, you have rivers and mountains floating in the sky. Hospitals run on magic, cities rely on it for food shipments." Jellal grimaced. "Millions will die! At least give me a _chance_ to stop this." His Erza gasped, looking at Knightwalker with new sympathy.

"We...I..." Knightwalker looked from Jellal, to distant ruins glowing in the night, then back. "Please! I beg you!" she cried suddenly, dropping to one knee, the desperation in her eyes painfully familiar. _A trembling child, smiling in spite of her terror, Jellal watching helplessly as Tower guards take Erza away to be tortured for daring to dream of freedom..._ Edo-Erza held out her spear as if offering it. "I yield! I will submit however you wish – but please, save Edolas!"

Jellal stared, jaw slack and eyes round. "Why do good people keep surrendering to me today..." he muttered, blinking. _She's Erza after all,_ he realized, _and this time, I'm not a powerless child._ "Okay. Keep your forces from shooting at me, and I'll do the rest."

"All forces! Attack Jellal and Erza, _regardless of origin!"_ the king roared. "Bring me the heads of those who defy your king!"

"Not a chance, you old fart!" Lucy cried from the edge of town, and a great green tree erupted from the earth. _No, that's Edolas Lucy. That means they're this world's Fairy Tail!_ Jellal exulted. _They came!_ Edolas Fairy Tail erupted through the tree's double-doors in a wave, protecting humans and Exceeds alike.

"Well, there's that handled," Jellal grinned. "Does anyone know where the Anima system is?"

"In the deepest chamber below the castle," Ultear explained, "you will find a giant lacrima sphere surrounded by statues, suspended in cables that look like roots. You can control the Anima from there." She looked away. "I don't know how you can restore magic, though..."

"It's like a pump with not enough water," Jellal explained.

"Which is what your Anima would have done to their world, in time," Myst added to Ultear, gaze as cool as his tone. She looked away, eyes squeezing shut.

"We need a flood of ether to 'prime the pump,' as it were, restoring your world's natural flow of energy. I'll use Anima to draw power from Earthland one last time, far away from civilization, where it won't hurt anyone," Jellal explained, then gasped. _Of course!_ The Starburst laughed. "The ruins of the Tower of Heaven! There's still over a billion Edeas of ethernano lying there in broken lacrima! All that suffering will finally have meaning." His Erza sniffed, wiping her original eye.

All five of Myst's staves shot through the air to surround Jellal. "What – Myst! What are you doing?" Jellal pressed at the field the magic devices generated.

"I'm sorry, Star," Myst said, head bowed, "but my father has summoned Droma Anim. I won't allow you to risk your life so recklessly, not when there is no more hope." Pantherlily struggled to his feet, somehow intact after Knightwalker's assault.

"Jellal!" Erza Scarlet cried. "What does he mean about risking your life?"

Jellal sighed. "I'll have to touch the Anima lacrima directly to control it. My body will merge with it at least a bit. It'll probably cost me a finger, maybe a little more," he explained.

"Maybe everything!" Myst flew between Jellal and Knightwalker. "I won't let you do this, Star!"

"Mel Force!" Edo-Erza roared, firing a blast at Myst. Scarlet knocked Myst aside, and the blast shot below Jellal, freeing him from the trap. "Hurry, Star-Jellal!"

"Please don't hurt him!" Jellal cried, then shot towards the castle. Myst snarled something he couldn't make out and gave chase. The two Erzas clashed again, blades of enchanted steel hammering at one another. _Well. This isn't what I expected._

_Jellal!_ Erza – his Erza – reached out to his mind. _I will hold off my counterpart. Don't lose to Mystogan – and don't you dare die!_

_Now that, I expected._ Jellal smiled as he flew towards the heart of the Edolas Royal City. _Far be it from me to defy an order from the Fairy Queen._


	78. Vol. 15, Ch. 10

Edolas-2, Royal City Airspace, X784: Erza Scarlet

Erza blushed as her Starburst raced Mystogan to the great Anima crystal, her counterpart glaring as Scarlet floated in Knightwalker's path. "Mystogan is making a mistake," she admitted, "but he is still a Fairy Tail wizard. I cannot let you kill him."

"He is a traitor to Edolas _and_ your ridiculous guild!" Knightwalker retorted, spear pointed at Titania. "I will not let him stop your Jellal from saving my world, and neither should you!"

"My Jellal will triumph," Erza insisted, "as will I!" She pointed her Black Wing Sword at Knightwalker. "You can still promise not to take Mystogan's life. Let us aid the Starburst together."

"That is not a promise I can make, when the fate of Edolas depends on the man 'Mystogan' would stop," Knightwalker insisted. Scarlet grimaced. _All right, I understand, I am a stubborn person, this lesson is not necessary right now, especially when Jellal needs me!_ While Erza contemplated her nature and the bizarre manifestation of it she faced, Knightwalker roared and charged at her, pointing the four-bladed polearm at her. "Quatro Cannon!" she commanded. Erza braced herself, parrying the violet beam with her Black Wing Sword. _The ethernano comes from her weapon, not her,_ Scarlet noted, eyes locked on her Ten Commandments spear. _That restricts her ability to push her magic beyond its limits, but I must best her while I still have energy._

With a flap of her wings, Erza darted through and past her counterpart. "Moon Flash!" she chanted, and the glowing cross-burst appeared around Knightwalker.

"Gravity Core!" Edo-Erza retorted, a black sphere too much like Altairis devouring Erza's attack. Knightwalker twisted her grip on the shaft, and one spear became two, fire and ice shining from the matched weapons. "Blue Crimson!"

_This is getting us nowhere._ Erza held her ground again. "Requip," she chanted, and her Adamantine Armor deflected both attacks. She fell back closer to the Jellals, listening for the state of their battle.

"I am sick of fighting my brothers, Myst!" Jellal cried, dropping Cosmic Fireworks behind him as he raced towards the castle. "Let me save your world!" Ice struck at Erza's shield, but she held it off, focusing on her twin nakama.

"This won't save anyone," Mystogan retorted, his voice cold and broken all at once. "Whatever good you do now will be erased when my people go to war again." A beam lashed out from his fin-staff, Starburst just barely dodging. "If the Exceeds remain in Edolas, they will be hunted more viciously than ever. If my people have magic, they'll just kill each other with it. Besides, Father has unleashed Droma Anim. Ultear's Anima would devour you before you could change anything." Erza's heart froze, in contrast to the flames of Blue Crimson roaring around her. "This civilization is dead."

"That's not true!" Jellal shot back, racing at Myst and grappling with him. Mystogan's staves spiraled away, and her Jellal met Myst's eyes with fierce resolve. "We're alive, right now! They're alive now! How can the man who's more my brother than Siegrain ever was look me in the eye and tell me they should die?" Knightwalker switched to Silfarion and darted at her ten times in an eyeblink, but Erza's Adamantine held fast. _If I can just keep her busy a little longer..._

"We don't deserve another chance," Mystogan whispered, and both Erzas gasped, halting in mid-air as he wept. "We've used them up. The Dragon Knight, Ur, Anima, ETD...our sins are too great. I don't have your strength. Let me die with my kingdom, brother of my heart. Go home with your Erza and live the happily-ever-after you deserve." Erza gasped. _Mystogan–!_

Erza had never been more proud of Jellal than when he punched Myst in the face. All five staves pointed at the pair. The Starburst ignored them. "How dare you talk like that with Fairy Tail's mark on your chest! Have you _never_ listened to our Erza? You're alive – that's your strength right there!" Jellal grabbed Mystogan's cloak, his own eyes brimming with tears. "Are you going to betray Pantherlily's faith in you? Coco's? Ours?" Knightwalker's attacks had ceased. She was watching as intently as Titania herself. "If you want this world to be better, then _make_ it better! You're the prince! When the Dragon Slayers beat your dad, you can be king. Your people still believe in you, _Jellal..."_ With that, her Starburst threw his arms around Myst. "...and so do I. You saved my world. Let me save yours. _Please."_

_Please..._ Erza prayed. Mystogan's staves quivered around the pair. _Jellal's defenseless. One spell, and it's over._ Mystogan raised one hand, the fin-staff that was like his third arm glowing and at the ready. _Believe in him. Believe in us._

The prince's arm dropped. His staff's glow faded away. Myst squeezed his eyes shut, and clutched at Jellal's cloak. "Star...I...thank you... _thank you..."_

Titania wiped a few tears from her own eyes, and turned to Knightwalker – only to find the tears _streaming_ down her cheeks. "Jellal? Have you really...come back to us?" Edo-Erza whispered. "Do you care again?"

"He never stopped," Erza reassured her.

All at once, the spell was broken, and Myst grabbed Jellal's cloak and held him at arm's length. "Remember your own words, Star. Don't you die on us – don't you dare!"

Jellal's smile was hope, as it had been so many times before. "And make Erza angry at me? Are you kidding? Come on!" He flew towards the castle again, Myst following. Erza turned to her counterpart, and she almost felt Knightwalker's heart as her own. As one, they nodded, flanking their princes. Pantherlily and Edo-Ultear quickly joined them, the princess riding a disc of solid space. "Cover me. I'm going to need all my magic to take control of Anima."

"I think I've figured out what you're planning," Ultear called over, as the two Erzas started knocking out guards, "but I still don't understand where the ether will _come_ from, after you've 'primed' the flow."

Jellal blinked at her. Knightwalker sighed and destroyed a cannon aimed at him. He favored her with an apologetic smile, then blew a hole in the street. "I'm surprised you haven't figured it out, given how your keys work," the Starburst said, darting through tunnels. "Ether is dimensionally transcendent, as limitless as existence itself. The only reason your world lacks energy is because the flow was choked off."

"The weapons of the Dragon Wars," Myst said, nodding. "According to our history books, it was only then that magic began to fade."

Jellal grimaced, slowing to let the Erzas blow through security doors. _That's it, let us handle these. Conserve your power._ He flew onward more cautiously than before. "Droma Anim," Jellal muttered. Then he summoned one of his remaining pieces of chalk – _gods, there's only one left after that,_ Erza realized, catching a glimpse of his case before it closed – and began drawing calculations in the air. They remained beside him as the group raced on. "That's going to be a problem, Myst. As long as it's active, I won't be able to do more than keep the ether flow alive."

"I warned you," Myst retorted.

They reached the Anima chamber at last, a massive shaft with a lacrima sphere the size of a building suspended near the apex. Around them, twisted streams of light leaked away. Below them, Edo-Siegrain shook his head at the newcomers. He was sitting on the floor, surrounded by unconscious guards. "Good, someone who knows how to drive this stupid thing."

Myst stared, eyes wide. "Brother..."

He shrugged. "Nope. Just a cheap copy." Siegrain looked away while Jellal approached the Anima crystal. "It turns out Byro built me in a lab. 'We need an heir,' the king told him. 'Make one if you have to.' So he did, with a little help from Ultear's crystal." The replica stood, then floated up towards them. "I'm not even a real person, let alone a real prince."

"D-don't be stupid," Ultear demanded, sniffling. "You're right there in front of us with a beating heart, a tiny brain, and a stupid mouth saying stupid guy stuff." She threw her arms around him. "And you saved my mom. Thank you, you dope." Edo-Siegrain looked up at Myst, mouthing _what do I do?_ Myst chuckled and shrugged. Siegrain settled for hugging her back.

"Scarlet," Knightwalker called, bringing Erza's attention back to the dire situation. "I will guard the door. Remain with your Starburst."

"Mm," Erza agreed with a nod. "Thank you." She watched – herself _(which is never not weird,_ Erza mused) – stand before the entrance and call on the Ten Commandments to become something called Ravelt. A spear formed in Knightwalker's hands. Its power was so immense Erza could sense it even with the world bleeding ether.

With that done, she turned back to Jellal. "Can someone get in touch with the Dragon Slayers?" he asked, voice hushed as he reached out to the great sphere. "It might help if I can coordinate with them."

Mystogan sighed. "Single Magic Circle: Ghost Voice," he chanted, and the staff with the huge-mouth skull lit up with a purple symbol. "Natsu."

"Thanks. Natsu?" Jellal called. "Can you hear me?"

"Ai-YAH!" Natsu wailed through the skull. "A little busy here!" Energy cannons echoed around the Dragon Slayer.

**Music Cue: New Main Theme, Battle Version**

"Natsu!" Jellal hissed through clenched teeth. "I can't wait any longer. Maybe I can help–!" With that, he pressed the little finger of his left hand to the crystal. _Jellal!_ Erza worried as the sphere pulled his finger halfway in, almost forcing his palm to it. Sweat beaded along Jellal's forehead, and he took in pained breaths as he concentrated.

"Blue?" Gajeel called. "Whatever you're doin', keep doin' it! This thing just slowed down!"

"Get offa me, metalhead!" Natsu complained. Gajeel laughed in his unique way and leaped back into battle.

"Got to...choke it...more, then force it...through, all at...once," Jellal gasped, his body tensing up more with each passing second. Erza's hands clenched and let go, unable to do anything but watch as the love of her life fought the power of an entire world. "Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy...I could really use your help..."

The roar of flames echoed through the skull's mouth. "Don't tell me we gotta hold back against that monster or something! This fight's tough enough already!" Erza Requipped into her Flight Armor. _If_ Natsu _thinks an enemy's too difficult..._

"Just the opposite," Jellal grunted, and when he twitched, the crystal claimed his ring finger. "Ow. I need you to blow that thing up – as fast as you can – as completely as you can!"

There was a pause. Gajeel cheered in the distance. "Wait, you _want_ us to wreck the place? _Now_ you're talking! I'm all fired up!" Natsu cheered, and the sounds of battle intensified.

A terrible explosion roared through the communicator. Erza and Mystogan went pale, and Jellal slipped again, his entire hand pulled into the lacrima. Ultear gasped and pressed one of her keys against the crystal, but Anima ate that too, and she nearly lost her fingers. "Natsu!" Erza cried. "NATSU!"

King Faust laughed. "Your friends are out of magic, Erza _Scarlet._ Now they're mine – and soon, you will be as well!"

"What – did – you – say?" Jellal snarled. He pushed his arm _further_ into the crystal, almost halfway to his elbow. Inside the Anima field, he opened fingers in spite of the skin peeling away from them. "I know Fairy Tail would have beaten you anyway, but I've run out of patience. Natsu! Gajeel! Wendy!" His chest glowed blue-white. "Earthland says hello!"

Erza heard flames roar around Natsu. Winds blew in the distance. Chunks of something – _metal, probably,_ she realized – tore themselves from the earth. "No! How can you stop me? I am the king of this world!" Faust cried.

"Not any more, father," Mystogan said, plunging his fin-staff halfway into the lacrima, pressing it against the bottom of Jellal's arm. "Now, Star!"

Jellal made a fist with fingers of bone. The ether itself swirled in obedience, shining all around them.

Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy all roared in response. Together, they turned an impossible plan into an unstoppable assault, with Gajeel pinning the Dragon Knight, then Wendy roaring at Natsu to smash him through the ancient weapon. _He even managed to spare the king,_ Erza thought, a proud smile forming.

Jellal's smile would have matched hers, except it wavered as his body shook. Erza rushed to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him up. Ultear pointed a key at the Starburst, opening a gateway to some font of magical energy, while Siegrain grabbed his free hand, pouring ethernano into him. "I have you, Jellal," she whispered. "Trust me."

"Always." Jellal's hand was nothing but bone at that point, and it took all Erza's strength to hold back tears. Still, the force of his magic moved his fingers, and he grasped Mystogan's staff. Though he continued to shake, Jellal relaxed in her grip, and blue light climbed the dark gold ribbons of ether. Cries of fear echoed in the distance, and Erza felt a pulse of unimaginable power as magic fled Edolas. Then Jellal's grip shifted, holding Myst's staff aloft, his last piece of chalk flashing through the air to draw an ever-growing seal around the Anima crystal. With a final yank, Jellal pulled free –

– and the ether roared to life, surging through them, through the _world,_ and the screams above them became cheers. Jellal collapsed into Erza's arms, three inches of arm replaced by Myst's staff, its fin where his hand had been. He looked down, twitching, and then the fin moved. _Five spines – like fingers?_ Erza wondered. While she stared, Mystogan pulled out a small staff – a rod, really, half-wrapped in his signature bandages and topped with a simple circle – and touched the fin. It twisted, shrank, and molded itself into a hand in truth. It was a clumsy, webbed one of metal, but a hand all the same. As one, Jellal and Erza looked up at Myst. "I may have suspected you'd leave bits of you behind. Porlyusica can finish the job." His grin was small and weak, but steady. "I'm just glad I didn't have to replace a leg. You would have looked stupid with a giant painted eye for a foot."

"You're the miracle of two worlds, now," Erza whispered, enjoying the sight of his blush. "I think you've earned one of your own."


	79. Vol. 16, Ch. 1

**Volume Sixteen: Partner Ships**

Earthland-1, Worth Woodsea, X790: Ultear

Ultear smirked at her friend. "Tell me again how little difference your freedom makes." Jellal sighed. "I won't bother reminding you how many lives Crime Sorciere has saved. Your counterpart just prevented the collapse of a civilization, and no, you _don't_ get to tell me that they would have survived." She crossed her arms. "The world would have gone on, but a lot of people would have died, both in that moment and the years to come."

"He has grown up to become an extraordinary young man," Jellal conceded.

"And he is what _you_ really are," Ultear insisted, "when you're not busy condemning yourself for my violation of you."

"So this is your endgame?" Jellal chuckled while Meredy held her forehead. _I can practically feel the frustration from her,_ Ultear mused. _I sympathize._ "Give hope to an entire world as therapy for one lost soul?"

_"You saved me,"_ Ultear insisted, poking Jellal in the chest. "I destroyed your life, enslaved you heart and soul, and you reached into the darkness to pull me out."

"Us!" Meredy interjected.

Ultear nodded fiercely. "Us." Her smirk returned.

"Let's...just keep an eye on the S-Class trials," Jellal said, sighing again. "Many things at Fairy Tail have happened in similar manner to ours, in all defiance of the Butterfly Effect, but if we can save them from Acnologia, everything should change from there."

"He said, not so much missing the point as dodging it," Meredy grumped.

"We'll indulge him for now, sweetie," Ultear replied. "He does have a point, after all."


	80. Vol. 16, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Magnolia, X784: Gray

"Very well," Carla sighed, crossing her arms. "I will accept this."

The Exceeds cheered as they soared into the heavens, Extalia floating up behind them. "Damn, Jellal, that was impressive, even for you," Gray chuckled. "And now we've got Extalia. I'm kind of amazed so many of them wanted to come here after Edolas dodged an apocalypse."

"It's a chance for a fresh start," the newly-tiny Pantherlily explained, ignoring the crying Gajeel grinning like a madman as the Dragon Slayer hugged him. _He's turned into almost as much a stalker as Juvia,_ Gray thought, a drop of sweat rolling down one cheek. "Here, they hope to be no more than curious newcomers in a world filled with natural magic."

"I just hope the ones who stayed behind are okay," Lucy said, biting her lip. "They're going to have a rough time, even with Mystogan keeping the peace."

"He's Jellal," Erza gushed, hugging the star mage implacably. _I don't think she's let go of him since he lost his hand,_ Gray thought. "They'll be fine."

"We should get back home," Jellal chuckled, only to gasp when Erza squeezed tighter still. "Urk. I want to make sure everyone's okay..."

Lucy's jaw twitched. "The only one who got hurt was you, Jellal," she pointed out.

"We won't know that until we get back," Jellal insisted, reaching around to rub the back of his neck. He froze when the metal of his fin-hand met his skin. "Mm. Weird."

Erza turned fierce eyes and tightly-pressed lips on the artificial hand. "Perhaps we should go to Porlyusica first," she suggested. "That was Mystogan's suggestion."

"Th-there's no rush, I'm sure," Jellal stammered, his smile weak as he held up his remaining original hand. "We should definitely check on Fairy Tail first."

"Hm..." Erza shrugged and smiled. "Very well."

Natsu and Gray gaped. "EHHHH?!" they blurted as one. _Is – is Erza all right?_

Lucy giggled behind her hand. "Erza's in lllllove," she said.

Happy got down on his paws and knees, head bowed. "She's stealing my mascot appeal..." he whimpered. Everyone laughed except Carla, who just face-pawed.

It didn't take them long to get back to the hall, with judicious use of magic and back alleys. "Oh, welcome back!" Mirajane called, waving as the ragged group burst through the doors. "Rough mission?"

"You could say that," Gray drawled, grabbing the seat next to Cana at the bar. _She's drinking from a mug now. That's good._

The afternoon brawl was subdued. _Probably due to a lack of flame-brain,_ Gray mused. Elfman popped halfway out of the combat cloud, sweeping the new arrivals with a glare. "You shouldn't just disappear like that! It isn't manly!" With that, he dove back into the fray.

"Yeah, and why does Jellal look like he got the worst of–" Ultear began. When she froze, the whole guild followed suit. _Oh, right, he was back at Stately Fernandes Manor,_ Gray remembered.

"JELLAL!" the guild cried as one, everybody trying to hug him at once. Ultear and his old Tower friends reached him first, and Jellal staggered with a squawk. Gray blinked. _Why haven't they reacted to his hand?_ The ice mage noticed that Jellal's left side had been thoroughly shrouded by his cloak. _Tch. That won't work for long –_

"Nii-san?!" Millianna gasped, pulling Jellal's injured arm out of the pile.

Jellal's smile was weak, and a single drop of sweat rolled down his jaw line. "I can explain..." Gray sighed. _I bet you can._

-FT- -FT- -FT-

Gray rolled his eyes at the line of heads he, Erza, Natsu, Wendy and Lucy made at Porlyusica's door. Ultear and Simon peered through one of the old healer's windows, while Millianna and Wally peeked through the other. Porlyusica had allowed Happy, Carla, and Pantherlily inside, and even the aloof Exceed princess looked concerned.

"Hmph." Porlyusica poured a dark gray potion with a strange mirror-bright silvery aura over Jellal's artificial hand. For several seconds, nothing happened. _After the first potion, the bronze amulet, and that weird coral wand, I don't think anything's going to work,_ Gray thought, a grumpy frown taking shape, but then the fin-webbing between the metal fingers warped and shrank away. The ice mage's frown disappeared. _Not that I'll complain if I'm wrong._ The three Exceeds stood up on the bed, Happy gasping and smiling while the other two nodded. While they watched, the wood of the shaft flowed over the now-thin metal fingers, small symbols forming on the knuckles where they met the rest of the hand. "Is this your idea of following your doctor's orders, boy?"

"Hey," Natsu whispered, "do those marks on his knuckles look like the tops of Mystogan's staff-things?" For some reason, he pointed at Jellal's hand as well. _Huh. Skull, fin, three, eye, and prongs. Flame-brain's right, for once._

"I am sorry, Doctor Porlyusica," Jellal shrugged, "but an entire civilization was at stake, and I had just used much of my energy to protect Magnolia." He flexed his new hand, now appearing to be made of wood. "It was an unfortunate necessity. The side effects are at least partially beneficial, at least. Thank y–"

Porlyusica swung her broom at him. Jellal _caught_ it. The jaws of all watching dropped, except for Carla – who was smiling? _Carla's okay with this? Are we really back in Earthland?_ Gray wondered. Meanwhile, Jellal met Porlyusica's glare with calm, unflinching eyes. "No. Not this time, doctor. Edolas may mean nothing to you, but it was – _is_ – Mystogan's home." Porlyusica snorted and looked away. "He kept insisting that his world would go on without magic, which was technically true, but hanging in the sky were kingdoms and rivers and mountains, they used airships that would have crashed alongside them, ran hospitals that relied on ether – and those were just the immediate threats to human life." When she walked away from Jellal, going to her medicine cabinets, he crossed his arms. "The Exceeds would have been thrown from their world or killed outright. Towns that relied on food shipments would have starved. Relief efforts after a world-spanning war would have been nearly impossible in the critical aftermath period. One hand was a negligible price to pay to avoid all that."

The healer put away the empty bottle and grabbed a roll of tan fabric. She paused for a few seconds, unmoving. "I am from Edolas," she said, and this time _everyone_ else's jaws dropped, Jellal and Carla included.  _What – how – I have a million questions for the Master,_ Gray decided. "When I arrived on your world, Edolas' decline had already begun. I would have thought its magic would have died by now." She yanked Jellal's wooden hand in front of her, then began wrapping the tan cloth around it. As she did, it came to resemble his skin almost exactly as it wrapped itself around the wood frame.

"It's ironic. Myst and I spent all those years fighting Anima," Jellal explained, "but in the end everything worked out." He looked out a window, Ultear and Simon ducking further until their eyes were at the sill. "Humanity can survive without magic or technology, but we shouldn't have to. Yes, some people use the greater power to make things worse, but so many more work for better worlds. I have faith in them."

Porlyusica's sigh was heavy and deep. "I am grateful, Fernandes, make no mistake," she admitted. Her eyes narrowed in an instant, her glare sharp and furious. "But you need to stop treating your body as an expendable asset! This time, you've broken something I cannot repair! Useless human..."

Jellal swallowed, but his smile was gentle. "I know. I'm sorry." He tested the new hand, opening and closing it with experimental care. "For all the impressive magic Myst gave me when he sacrificed his main staff, I'm aware that I've lost something precious." He ran artificial fingers along the edge of his cloak, grimacing. _The Grim? What did you do, Jellal?_ Gray wondered.

"I could replace it," the healer admitted, returning to her many wonders. "We would have to remove the existing prosthetic, but that would permit–"

"Thank you, but no." Jellal stood, his hand turning to silvery mist, then solid again. _Whoa. That's going to be a useful trick,_ Gray noted. "Myst's last gift gave me two things, and I count the incredible magic powers the lesser of them."

"What is the other?" Porlyusica demanded, one skeptical eyebrow raised.

Jellal ran the fingers of his right hand along the palm of the left. "Perspective," he said.

"Good." She grabbed another broom. "Then get out! Annoying human!" Jellal yelped and fled, the Exceeds racing after him.

Gray had just enough time for his eyes to go wide, then Jellal ran into Team Erza, all six of them falling over in a heap. _Ow,_  Gray sighed. "And don't think I missed the rest of you, either!" the healer shouted, waving her broom furiously in the air. "Go away!"

With cries of their own, the Fairy Tail wizards fled. After a few seconds, Natsu laughed, and the others couldn't help joining in, even Gray. _Home at last._


	81. Vol. 16, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, Magnolia, X784: Erza

_That was quite the party._ Erza chuckled and shook her head, gazing upon a guild hall that had finally calmed down. _Mystogan, wherever you are, I hope you know that we remember you._ Sitting on the roof of Kardia Cathedra, she turned her sight upward, looking upon the stars with a smile. _Even Jellal joined in this time. It was good to see him so carefree._ Her smile faded. _I wish I knew why he is so rarely like that._ It vanished completely. _I am not helping._

_No!_ She leaped to her feet. _I will not let my fear hold me back a moment longer!_ The image of Jellal being pulled bit-by-bit into the Anima crystal flashed through her memory. _I said that I would tell him if I wished for us to move more quickly, but one simple, tiny misunderstanding and I turn into a fumbling girl who can't speak her heart. With so much at stake, I will not wait one moment longer!_ She glared at the stars as if challenging them, raising a fist in defiance. _Jellal! One way or another, we will settle this once and for –_

"So this is where you've been hiding," Jellal quipped, smiling as he leaned against the bell tower.

"KYA!" Erza leaped back, Requipped into her Clear Heart clothes, and gripped the hilts of her Demon Blades before she realized who'd joined her. The Starburst chuckled. "J-Jellal!" She immediately Requipped back into her civilian clothing and crossed her arms. "A-are you reduced to juvenile pranks, now?" Titania looked away, resisting the heat rising to her cheeks.

"Forgive me, Erza. I was testing my new Mist Body, and when I saw you up here, I decided to surprise you." He shrugged, smile vanishing. "I thought it would be a pleasant surprise. Sorry."

"It's all right, really!" Erza insisted suddenly, waving her hands with alacrity. "It's my fault for letting my guard down." She bowed quickly, multiple times. "Please excuse my behavior!"

That beautiful smile returned. "Oh, Erza," he chuckled. "I don't consider there to be anything to excuse, but if you wish it, then it is forgotten." He glanced down at the city. "I don't suppose you'd mind it if we talked?"

_Oh! This is perfect!_ Erza strode to his side and smiled back. "Actually, I had intended to seek you out. I wish to talk as well." Jellal swallowed. Erza took his hand, and he froze. "We had a – misunderstanding, back at your family home. After what I told you, when we finally cleared up our previous difficulty, I should have expressed myself better." She looked into his eyes, hazel-gold shining in the moonlight, and steeled herself. "I do wish to, ah, proceed more quickly. I should have told you that at the time." Erza put her other hand on his. "However! I understand that you feel the obligations of a gentleman. Also, I know that the faith of the Old Gods calls you to approach this part of a relationship in certain ways." She cleared her throat. _Did that sound too clinical?_ When she met Jellal's eyes again, he was unreadable, expression nearly blank in its evenness. "So. Er. I was foolish to feel insecure, and I hope we can pick up where we left off."

Jellal looked down at where she held onto him. "I can't feel your hands," he admitted. Erza blinked, then stared in shock. _That's Mystogan's gift,_ she realized. "May I?" He tugged gently at her grip, and she let go. "I can sense pressure, where the artificial skin touches something. I won't break mugs by mistake, or hurt someone with my grip. There's knowledge in my head, like...numbers, or a meter, as automatic as the sense of touch." He reached up, briefly running his fingers through her hair. Erza bit her lip. _So...good..._ "Everything you said about me is true, but it doesn't matter any more. What matters is what I understand now. Mystogan's gift grants me tremendous power. I have all the arts he bore on his back, literally at my fingertips. Yet this hand will never feel the warmth of your skin, or the silk of your hair, ever again."

Erza gasped. "Wait! Porlyusica said she could build you a new hand. Surely you could craft replacements for Mystogan's arsenal–"

"It doesn't matter," Jellal said, smiling again. "No, that's not right...it's more that it's okay. I don't question Porlyusica's skill, but Anima erased more than the substance of my hand." He looked at the limb in question, flexing his fingers as though testing them. "Many of the greatest acts of magic come from sacrifice. I think...the _idea_ of my hand disappeared with its flesh and bone. Besides, even if it didn't, everything about this hand is a gift. Even the price." He met her eyes again, and Erza's heart pounded with the force of her Giant Armor. "I worried so much about going too far, I couldn't see that I wasn't going far enough, that I was squandering time that can never be reclaimed. 'Live your life to the fullest, and never think of yourself as insignificant.' I'm...not very good at that, am I?"

"That's not entirely untrue," Erza admitted, grasping his right hand this time. Strangely, his smile grew. _Time to confront this. To face my fear._ She took in a breath. "Am I the reason you still do not believe yourself free?" Erza asked.

Jellal stared for a long moment, only moving to blink. Then his eyes went round and his jaw dropped, teeth seeming jagged in the darkness. Had she not meant the question so seriously, Erza might have laughed. "That's...I...Mavis, _that_ is what you're afraid of?" he blurted at last, staring with wide eyes. "Erza, I never feel more free than when I'm with you." He looked away, jaw tight. "The flashbacks...Daphne's curse...the only thing I fear when I'm with you is hurting you."

Erza did laugh, then. "That is impossible," she said.

"It is not," Jellal replied, looking up. "It wasn't his fault, but...the other Jellal, the one who saved us...I've had his nightmares alongside my own. He was a victim of Possession Magic for eight years. In that state, he trapped our friends in deceit, tormented your counterpart with cruel manipulation."

"That was not him," Erza insisted, "any more than your body's assault on me when Daphne controlled it was you." Somewhere, Jellal-1 snorted. _Mavis, not him too._

"True. He was _possessed,_ after all." Jellal met her gaze and smiled again, and Giant Armor was replaced by Flight Armor as Erza's heart raced. "I am not. What lies within me is more insidious than that. For all those years, what I feared was the demon curse within me. That in a moment of weakness, I would betray you."

_"Never,"_ Erza insisted again, patience starting to fray at last. "Have you learned nothing?"

"I have learned." He pulled her close, and somehow Erza's heart pounded more fiercely than ever. "I could not truly fight your _counterpart_ in Edolas, because deep within she was still you. And this." He held up his left hand. "For all our determination and magic, sometimes...no, always, eventually, everything ends, even for Fairy Tail wizards. Everything ends but love." Again, he stroked her hair with artificial fingers. "That's why we must live our lives to the fullest. Because at any moment, the end can come without warning."

_That's...I don't understand why...Jellal?_ Erza bit her lip again. "What does that mean for you? For us?"

With deliberate care, Jellal swept her hair aside. He pulled her close, and Erza became aware of her beloved on every level – the light in his eyes, the sound of his breath, the scent of his skin, the feel of his heart, the love from his soul. And then he kissed her, and all became light and fire.

"I love you," he said, when their lips parted and he hugged her close. "Erza, your happiness _is_ my freedom. I've let so much get in the way. No more. Tell me what you desire."

_"You,"_ Erza breathed, half-growling.

"Ah. In that case, we'll talk more...afterward," he whispered, and his power surrounded them both.

"Afterward?" Erza blinked. "After what–"

Jellal scooped her up, Erza squealing in surprise, and they raced to the woods outside the city. There, his chalk tore across the earth, creating seals that summoned a chamber of pure magic, glowing sapphire and scarlet. Five walls like petals peeled open below, to reveal an intimate setting. Erza gasped, looked at the nervous passion in Jellal's eyes, and kissed him back.

They descended, and the petals closed around them. _At last..._ Erza's smile shone like the moon. _This contest is over._


	82. Vol. 16, Ch. 4

Earthland-1, Outside Magnolia, X791: Jellal

Meredy shot Maguilty Rays into the sky alongside the fireworks above. "Happy New Year!" she cheered. Jellal blushed. "Too bad we can't see into Jellal's little lllove chamber."

"M-Meredy!" Jellal blurted, while both women laughed. "Let them be," he sighed, folding his arms and shaking his head. _What am I going to do with them?_ he wondered.

"He does have a point, Meredy," Ultear agreed, though her smirk when Meredy pouted was not encouraging to the small guild's master. "We're trying to be heroes now. It's not very heroic to go peeping on your grown-up children."

"We didn't raise them," Meredy retorted, pout growing. "It's not like I wanted to do more than peek."

"We can keep an eye out for their safety without looking into the private affairs of Jerza," Ultear added, chuckling. _Jerza?_ Jellal wondered. "Besides, we have two Fairy Tail guilds to watch out for." She glanced down at where the "Reborn Ghoul Spirit" members were sprawled out, defeated and awaiting pickup by the Rune Knights.

"I don't know what else there is to watch out for over there right now," Meredy grumped. "My counterpart hasn't even been that big a deal. Sheesh." She shook her head.

Jellal smiled with careful gentleness. "Well, she's made friends with Juvia, in spite of her adulation for their Ultear. That's a lot of growth all around. They make quite the team, by all appearances." He glanced up to see the local Jet and Droy heading towards the unconscious Dark Guild mages. "Guests. We should go."

"Can we finish watching the fireworks, Jellal? Please?" Meredy pleaded. Jellal sighed, smiled and nodded. The technically-adult wizard cheered, and the star mage led them to higher, more discreet ground. _We'll check back in on Earthland-2 when our own world is secure again._ He shook his head at the remnants of the Dark Guild below them. _That shouldn't take long._


	83. Vol. 16, Ch. 5

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X784: Mirajane

The legendary She-Demon froze, hand stopping mid-polish. A blushing Erza walked in, her smile long and quivering. She strode to the bar with a spring in her step, dropped into a chair, and pointed her eyes firmly downward. "Three strawberry Veronica pastries, please," she said.

Mira let out a joyous squeal and threw a titanic hug around her favorite knight. "I'm so happy for you!" she cheered. _Yay! Finally!_

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Erza stammered, eyes wide, hands wringing, feet squirming against each other. "I – Jellal and I – we had a fine night – evening! We had a fine evening!"

Mira giggled and let Erza go. "You're not seriously going to pretend Jellal didn't sweep you off your feet last night, are you?"

"N-no, of course not," Erza conceded, eyes still locked onto the bar top. "He was – it was very romantic. He was understanding beyond my right to expect. We talked quite a bit, cleared the air on many things."

Evergreen appeared on Erza's flank. "Talked. Right."

Mira pouted at the fairy mage. "I have no doubt that they _also_ talked, Evergreen," the She-Demon insisted. "It's Jellal and Erza, after all." The devil's light glinted in her eyes as she turned back to grin at Titania. "Is it finally time to break your 'romance manga' out of storage?"

"What? No! Jellal is a straightforward lov–" Erza clamped both hands over her mouth, eyes bulging as her face turned bright red.

"Nyaaan?! You and nii-san?" Millianna blurted, leaping over and taking the seat on Mira's other side. "Finally?" The knight glanced around, wringing her hands again. Milli meowed a laugh. "You don't have to be embarrassed, Erza-nee. I like seeing you full of life. We're happy for you both!"

Cana strode over as well, coming up behind Titania. Erza straightened. _You noticed you're surrounded, huh?_ Mira thought. "It sounds like our favorite fairy knight could use some advice from her Aunt Cana, though," the card mage said, putting an arm around Erza's shoulders. "First of all, don't hold him to an impossible standard for your first time."

"I-it's not like that!" Erza blurted, shivering. "He – he was – it was – _indescribable,"_ she breathed, the red of her cheeks somehow deepening.

"Ooo, that good, huh?" Cana's wicked smile only grew. "Well. Blue's always been one for study, and I've heard some absolutely delicious rumors about the Old Ways." Erza swayed in her chair while Cana leaned in. "And hey, it's for the best that you went vanilla the first time."

"We are not discussing – this!" Erza flailed, arms waving noodle-like in the air.

Mira shrugged. "Okay," she conceded. The She-Demon blinked at the shocked jaw-drops from the other ladies. _Well, if Erza doesn't want to talk about it, she isn't going to._ She resumed wiping down the bar. "What about your talk? It sounds like everything worked out."

"Mm, mm," Erza agreed, nodding as she relaxed. "At last, I expressed my feelings without reservation. Edolas allowed Jellal to transcend his fear of the vile thing Daphne did to him in the Tower." Her smile returned, steady and serene. "It appears I owe Knightwalker much. Since he could not do battle with another Erza, one known as the Fairy Hunter, he knows that he would never harm me."

Juvia gasped as she rushed over. Meredy grinned as she followed. "Jellal-dono was afraid he would hurt you? That could not be!" the water mage blurted. Millianna sighed and facepalmed.

"Precisely what he understood," Erza explained. "There was also the matter of his hand. A strange condition, that made him value the precious time we have."

"Time?" Mira gasped, cold terror crushing at her heart. "Is Jellal sick?" Millianna mewed.

"No!" Erza's hand raced out to take Mirajane's. "He is well. It is merely a quirk of Mystogan's gift." Her smile became reassuring. "Even we cannot spend every remaining moment of life together, but we both realize how important it is to treasure what we have."

"Oh, Erza is so lucky," Juvia replied, hands squeezed together at her waist. "If only Gray-sama would look at me the way Jellal-dono does at Sir Erza. Juvin!" Mira giggled. _Poor Juvia. She's probably picturing that happy day at this very moment._

"You've actually got a housebroken man," Evergreen agreed, nodding with approval. "Most of them need a lot of work before they can be considered domesticated. Count yourself fortuna–"

"Ohhh?" Erza was instantly looming over a quivering Evergreen. "Are you implying that Jellal is incapable of standing up for himself, as though he were not truly a man?" Mira sighed. _Erza..._

"Please don't start in about being manly," Evergreen whimpered. Mira couldn't help a chuckle.

That was, of course, the exact moment that Elfman burst in with a kick, Jellal and Gray under one arm, Gajeel and Simon in the other. "It's about time you expressed your feelings properly! Now you're being a real man!"

"You're missing the point," Gray and Simon said as one, shadows looming over them both.

Jellal blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not sure there was anything proper about it..."

"The whole damn town is talking about how Titania was glowing on her way to the hall," Gajeel noted, his grin almost as wide as Natsu's usual one. "Sounds proper to us. Gee hee!" Mira laughed as Erza started "glowing" from a renewed blush.

"Look, I'm not going to talk about it," Jellal insisted, rolling his eyes. "It was amazing and Erza's happy, and that's all that matters."

"Discretion is manly!" Elfman agreed, releasing his nakama as he punched the air. _At least I think he's agreeing,_ Mira thought, smiling at her brother.

Evergreen darted to Elfman's side, batting at his head with her fan. "Then maybe you shouldn't be shouting about it at the top of your lungs!"

"Ah! Evergreen!" Elfman yelped, retreating before the absurd barrage. The others all laughed, while Mira just sighed and shook her head, glancing over at where Kinana was serving drinks to Macao and Wakaba. _She's fitting in nicely_

"Hey, Simon, where's Ultear?" Jellal asked. Gray started to inch away from Juvia, who was still staring into space. "I'm surprised she isn't at the guild."

"Magic Council hired her," Simon explained. "Some real hush-hush mission, but we need the good will. Gran Doma wants to shut us down."

Jellal's eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. "I'll bet he does." Erza went to his side, and he relaxed the moment her arm was around his waist. "As long as they don't try to force her into anything untoward."

Arc of Space carved through the world, opening where the Cait Shelter gate used to be. Ultear emerged from it, a Magic Council prison visible behind her just before the portal closed. "Guys!" she gasped, running to the group gathered at the bar. "This is bad!"

"What now?" Gray sighed. "Don't tell me the Magic Council set you up."

Ultear shook her head. "Daphne broke into the new prison, then freed Brain – and Siegrain." Jellal and Erza gasped as one. Mira's hands covered her mouth. _Oh no!_ "The other Prayers tried to call the guards, but, well, it was Daphne. Security couldn't stop her."

"Siegrain's memory..." Jellal squeezed his eyes shut, fists trembling at his sides.

With a sigh, Ultear summoned one of her crystals. "They wouldn't give me access to the cameras, but I was able to pick up a few impressions with my Time magic. Here's what I got."

Three still holographic images appeared, like a short comic strip of sculptures. The first was Daphne disintegrating the bars of a smiling Brain's cell with a bizarre lacrima-weapon that looked like an abstract sculpture. Behind Daphne, Siegrain pounded on the bars of his cell with his bare fist, while Cobra shouted something from the cell beside him. The second was of Daphne pointing a simple wand at Siegrain, who was frozen upright, while Cobra and Hoteye looked on in horror and Brain laughed. The third was of the two escapees following Daphne through a gateway virtually identical to Ultear's; indeed, the Lizard Man with the long violet hair was a clear indication of how they escaped. All five of Brain's former Prayers could be seen in the last image, Hoteye sitting on the floor of his cell, head bowed, while the others raged at Daphne and Brain. Siegrain's posture remained stiff, eyes barely visible beneath long bangs, expression flat and even.

"She's taken control of him," Jellal hissed. "That's it! I'm going after–"

"No!" Mira blurted, only to realize that almost every other guild member present had spoken in time with her. "The Interdiction Treaty, Jellal," the She-Demon reminded him. "If we go after Daphne now, the Magic Council will disband Fairy Tail and arrest as many of us as they can – especially you!"

Erza moved her hand to the Starburst's shoulder. "They'll make the job of retrieving fugitives of their power available to legal guilds." Jellal shuddered, eyes squeezed shut. "We'll save him. Together."

Jellal nodded. "Thank you..."

Ultear cleared her throat, the sour curve of her mouth indicating it hadn't helped. "I hate to bring this up, Blue, but there's another possibility. Daphne might not be exactly, well, controlling him. If she returned his memories with the right twist, he might have gone with her willingly."

"That's still control." Jellal took a deep breath, let it go, and opened his eyes again. "For now, you're all correct. I'm going to check the S-Class job board. Work will help."

"I agree," Erza replied, nodding. "Gray, find Wendy and Carla. We'll go with him while Natsu and Lucy are out." Gray grinned and gave her a thumb's up, heading for the table where Levy was chatting with the young healer. Mira frowned. _Why now? Gods, please, can't you give the two of them so much as a week's peace? Is that too much to ask?_


	84. Vol. 16, Ch. 6

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X784: Lucy

"Wait! Don't you want help with the next job?" Lucy called, watching Natsu race past from the job board.

"Sorry, Luce! This time of year, we work alone!" Natsu shouted, running toward the door.

Lucy blinked while Mira polished a glass and smiled. "Alone?" the Celestial Mage pouted. "And what does he mean 'we?'" She glanced around, annoyance forgotten. "Where is Happy, anyway?"

Mira pointed out back, still smiling, and Lucy went to the door, only to find Happy, Ultear, Simon, and Meredy running through Jellal's training course like lunatics. "Stronger! Stronger!" Simon roared, smashing through Wave Projections with his Shadow Knuckles. _Yipe! When did Simon turn into a beast?_

"Faster! Faster!" Happy cried, darting around more projections with such speed that he created small whirlwinds in his wake. _EEK! What happened to Happy?!_

As one, Ultear and Meredy pulled back fists. "Hyyyy...AH!" they cried, and a column of Crash magic exploded outward alongside a volley of Psyche Rays. Jellal merely smiled as the two women shattered more than twenty Wave Projections. Lucy carefully closed the door and backed away. _Before_ I _get shattered!_ she quailed, retreating to the relative safety of Mirajane and Kinana.

"Is everything all right, Lucy?" Mira asked, peering at where the blonde had ducked when a horde of job-hungry wizards had stormed the bar.

"I think so," Lucy muttered, "but it's like half the guild's lost its mind. Everyone else is acting all normal, though..." She pouted again at where Wakaba was being perverted, while Macao utterly failed to discourage him. _Honestly, how are they both still married?_

"You'll understand tomorrow," Mira reassured her.

As good at comforting nakama as Mirajane was, Lucy didn't feel reassured. "Honestly. Even Cana's been weird! She tried to get me to drink with her, to celebrate Ultear 'getting serious' or something."

Mira's eyes lit up. "Really! Goodness, this year's going to be quite interesting," she said. Lucy sighed and crossed her arms. _What is?_

-FT- -FT- -FT-

The following morning saw the nearly the entire guild in attendance. Lucy couldn't help being curious, in spite of the overcast weather. _Not to mention, no one's given me any idea of what's going on!_ she grumped.

Everyone there had gathered before the stage, which was shrouded by a green curtain with the guild logo on it. Everywhere she looked, there were wizards fidgeting, twiddling fingers, standing firmly upright as though a better view would raise the curtain more quickly. _They're all members who've been with the guild more than a year,_ Lucy realized. "Finally, the rest of us will know what the big secret is."

"Juvia's heart beats faster..." the water mage said, "– every time I see Gray-sama!" Lucy quickly determined that Juvia was ogling the object of her affections.

"Go home," Lucy sighed.

Just then the curtain rolled up. Master Makarov stood at the front of the stage, flanked by Erza and Jellal to his right, Mira and Ur to his left, and Gildarts looming behind him with trademark grin. The old man cleared his throat. "Fairy Tail! As we have done every year since our founding, I will now announce..." he held up a single scroll. "...the participants in 784's S-Class Mage Qualification Trials!"

Lucy gasped. "I'm all fired up," Natsu said, literally aflame with passion. The others cheered.

"This year's exam will take place on Tenrou Island," Makarov continued, while Lucy whispered questions about the nature of the test, "our guild's sacred ground." She gulped. _Wow. This test must be really intense!_

"There will be ten participants! Natsu Dragneel! Gray Fullbuster! Lisanna Strauss! Juvia Lockser! Elfman Strauss! Ultear Milkovich! Freed Justine! Levy McGarden! Simon Mikazuchi! Mest Gryder!" Someone had cheered on everyone who'd been chosen – _though Juvia looks confused, not that I blame her,_ Lucy thought – while Lisanna and Elfman were looking at each other with awkward smiles. _Well, I guess it must be awkward, having a brother and sister competing._ Then she saw Gray and Ultear trade fierce grins. _Or maybe not! What is with this guild?_ Meanwhile, Alzack had all but collapsed, almost colorless from gloom, and Gajeel was failing to pretend he wasn't devastated. _Aww._

Makarov cleared his throat again. "For the third year in a row, only one candidate – at most – will be allowed to pass." There were some chuckles, and Mirajane looked down while Jellal glanced away, rubbing the back of his neck. Both mages were blushing. _Well, at least I know that wasn't a weird romance thing, since Erza doesn't look ready to kill Mira._ "The exam will take place a week from today. So choose your partners wisely, and make certain you are prepared!"

"Partners?" Lucy blurted. Max and Warren explained the reasoning, while Erza filled in the limitations: only Fairy Tail wizards who weren't already S-Class. _Wow, Fairy Tail rules that actually make sense,_ Lucy noted. The rest, she learned, the contestants would find out when they reached Tenrou Island.

"Although," the diminutive master continued, a hint of a smile peeking out from his mustache, "I will say that participants will find themselves facing S-Class wizards as part of the test."

The entire guild gasped as one. Mira and Jellal waved in almost bashful manners, while Ur created a massive ice hammer to lean on. Erza simply nodded, while Gildarts' smile grew. _Wait, even Gildarts? No way!_ Lucy gaped at the ginger juggernaut. The entire guild seemed to recoil, except for Natsu _(of course,_ Lucy sighed), who looked as ecstatic as if he'd been granted his S-Class license on the spot.

In short order, most of the first-timers – Natsu, Gray, Elfman, Lisanna, and Juvia – were gathered at the same table, chatting about their chances with Lucy, Wendy, and Carla. Freed was talking to Bickslow, already partnering up. "So, have you all decided on your partners?" Lucy asked.

"I'm partnering with Happy, of course," Natsu explained.

Millianna leaped to Lisanna's side. "And I'm Lisa-chan's! Nyan!" She turned heart-eyes on Happy. "Do your best, Happy! We have to represent our kitty pride!"

"Aye!" Happy agreed, paw up. Carla sighed. _He agrees with her?_ Lucy gaped.

Lisanna giggled while Meredy walked up behind Juvia, leaning on the water mage's chair. "The year Mira-nee and Jellal both made S-Class, I was Mira's partner, and Milli-chan was Jellal's," Lisanna explained. "It was so much fun, we promised each other that if one of us were ever nominated, we'd partner up."

Gray gaped. "I'm pretty sure you and Millianna were the only ones who thought that thing was 'fun,' Lisanna," he said, shivering.

"What happened?" Lucy asked.

"There was an enormous training platform hovering over Magnolia Bay," Elfman explained, voice shaking and head bowed. Natsu's smile grew to its most titanic proportions.

Lucy blinked. "Where is it now?"

"There _was_ a training platform," Simon clarified as he strolled over to them, Kagura at his side. "The last trial was a maze, but Master Makarov permitted the competitors to fight each other, and Jellal was _just_ ahead of Mira, and..." he shrugged.

Lucy blinked. "And what?" she asked.

Lisanna laughed. Everyone else except Natsu paled slightly. "Mira-nee used to be really competitive," she explained. "She used Soul Extinctor to try and knock Jellal off course, but she hit the main propulsion lacrima instead."

"Which shouldn't have been possible," Simon groaned, facepalming. "The walls were made of Sealing Stone to prevent competitors from blowing through or teleporting around them. Only problem was, the floor was less sturdy. Falling out of the maze meant automatic disqualification."

"The whole thing crashed into the bay right after Jellal and Mirajane's award ceremony!" Natsu laughed, fists pumping in the air. "It was great!"

"Yeah, until the Master got the bill." Gray shook his head. "Mom was worried that he'd have a heart attack, for real."

"But it was so _lively!"_ Millianna insisted. "That trial was the best, and this time we're going back to Tenrou!" She crossed her arms, pouted, and squeezed in next to Lisanna. "I don't know why Master-chan won't let more than one of us reach S-Class any more."

"We kind of just explained it," Simon sighed. Lisanna and Natsu laughed.

"Um...Juvia would like to withdraw from the trials," she muttered, squirming in place and blushing. Lucy grinned. _That's Juvia for you._

Wendy gasped. Gray leaned over, and Juvia's blush deepened. "Oh? What's wrong?" the ice mage asked. _Trying to sound cool, huh?_  Lucy wondered, smile growing. _Maybe Mira's not completely wrong about them._

Juvia's mumbling was so quiet Lucy could only barely make it out, but Simon laughed before she could respond. "Sorry, Juvia, but after Jellal's little stunt, you're out of luck," he explained.

"Jellal?" Lucy blurted. "Again?" Natsu and Gray both chuckled. "What did he do? I can't imagine him ever being underhanded."

"Oh, you'd be surprised what he could do for Erza," Gray said, shaking his head. "The guild master before Makarov put in a rule that any candidate who failed three jobs in a row would be disqualified."

Lucy stared at Gray with wide eyes. "I can't believe Jellal would risk Fairy Tail's reputation like that!" she blurted.

"There are always con men who try to manipulate wizards with fake quests," Lisanna explained. "It actually used to be more common before 780." She chuckled again. "Jellal spent the whole year tracking them down, but he saved the worst three for himself. Then he 'failed' them all in one day, by taking the assignments and exposing the dark mages who'd commissioned them." Lucy's jaw dropped.

"Nii-san was amazing!" Milli cheered. Then she giggled. "Master Makarov didn't think so, though. You should've seen his face!" Natsu and Gray laughed again, even fist-bumping. "Er-chan was upset for a few minutes, but she took him as her partner pretty fast. You can imagine what happened after that." Lucy looked up, picturing a triumphant Erza with sword raised and her free arm around a sheepish Jellal, the pair atop a pile of unconscious nakama while a white flag stuck out of Max's bottom.

"Master changed the rule as soon as he sobered up after the New Year's party," Simon filled in.

"Juvia was beaten to the punch," the water mage grumbled, biting her hat. "How am I supposed to be Gray-sama's partner if–" she straightened in her chair, blushing as her eyes bulged in Gray's direction. "G-G-G-Gray-sama..."

"Oi, oi," Gray sighed, "I've already got a partner." Loke walked in just then, Karen Lilica striding beside him with a gentle smile. "Loke and I agreed to this last year."

"Good to see everyone again," Leo said, nodding to the group at the table while Karen waved. Then he leaned over beside Lucy. "Sorry, but I'll be placing a hold on our contract during the trials, Lucy. Don't worry, though. I traveled through the gate using my own magic power, so I won't use yours if you're someone's partner or you take an assignment."

"That's why I'm here," Karen explained, her smile slipping a fraction. "Leo – Loke – has been helping me recover, so I'm going to make sure his gate remains stable."

Meredy glanced at the Blue Pegasus wizard. "Will the Master allow that, Karen-san?" the psychic mage asked, lips pursed to one side. "It's really nice of you, but since only Fairy Tail wizards are allowed, and with the whole 'Jellal rule' thing to keep candidates from ducking out, if he makes one exception to the–"

"Juvia will support Karen-san!" she said, leaping to her feet.

Ur chuckled as she headed over. "Sorry, Juvia, Karen," she said, Juvia's head drooping as the older woman approached, "but the Master's being pretty strict this year." She nodded to Loke. "You don't need to worry, though. Human, spirit, or whatever, you're a Fairy Tail wizard."

"You don't understand," Karen blurted, her hands slapping the table. "Leo's been using his own power to help me heal! It could be dangerous for him!" Ur's smile vanished.

"Every S-Class assignment is dangerous," Loke replied, arms crossed. "Gray was my best friend before Lucy saved me. I'm not abandoning him now. Besides," he added, grinning again, "it'll be good training for when I take the trials."

"Oi, oi," Gray said, standing, eyes narrowing. "Jellal and Lucy put a lot of work into saving your lion hide. I'll find someone else." The ice mage and Lion King turned fierce glares at each other.

Lucy looked from her two friends to a worried Juvia. _Oh, this is going to be such a mess,_ she sighed, then steeled herself, stood up, and pointed at the water mage. "Juvia! Don't freak out," she cried. Juvia blinked. Then she turned toward Gray and swallowed. "Gray! I'll be your partner!"

The whole table froze, everyone staring at Lucy with round eyes and jagged-toothed jaw drops. After a few wordless splutters, Juvia finally managed to take in a breath. "L-l-l – LOVE RIVAAAL!" she wailed, pointing back at Lucy. _Yep. It's a mess,_ Lucy decided.

Meredy put a hand on Juvia's arm. "Calm down, Juvia-chan," the pink-haired girl warned. "We talked about this, remember?"

"But Juvia knew it! Lucy IS after Gray-sama!" Juvia's lip quivered.

"I – AM – NOT!" Lucy roared back. Juvia recoiled, blinking in shock. "First of all, I'm worried about Loke!" Natsu snorted a tiny jet of fire. "And no, that's _not_  my only reason, Natsu, so stick your brimstone in your Salamander!" Natsu gaped, then laughed, nodding in what Lucy hoped was approval. "I didn't think I wanted anything to do with this, but if I'm going to get stronger, I have to push myself, just like Loke said. Most importantly, I'm part of a team, and we're supposed to support each other!"

Lucy waved a hand in Natsu's direction. "Natsu's got Happy, Erza's already S-Class, and Wendy wasn't nominated, so I want to help Gray, _who's like a brother to me._ I'm not going to let you scare me off," she continued, locking eyes with Juvia, "and I'm not going to do this just to fill a slot!" She held up her keychain and turned back to Gray. "I'm a wizard with nine Zodiac Keys – the first in four centuries to have contracts with that many. Loke can keep his promise to you, and you'll have a whole army by your side. I _will_  make you an S-Class wizard, Gray!"

Juvia's hand dropped to her side, and she blinked with a softened expression that surprised Lucy. "Love...Rival..." she whispered. Lucy managed to avoid slapping her forehead, but it took a serious effort. _I'm really not!_

Gray looked from Lucy, to Juvia, and finally to Loke. "You okay with this, Loke?" he asked.

After several seconds, Loke nodded, his smile gentle and completely lacking in perversion, much to Lucy's relief. "Yeah. She's amazing, isn't she?" He scratched his hair. "I'll have to check with Master Makarov on coming through the gate without a summoning, though. He might consider it cheating." Ur nodded.

"Don't sweat it," Gray insisted. "If Lucy's my partner, then I'll rely on her strength." Juvia sank back into her chair, lip still trembling.

Karen exhaled in relief. "Well, I'm glad that's settled," she replied. I'll hang around until you head for Tenrou, if you don't mind, Loke."

At that, Loke's smile did become perverted (at least as far as Lucy was concerned). "Now why would I object to that, Karen?" he asked, taking her hand and kissing it. The green-haired summoner chuckled.

"Anyway, there it is," Gray sighed, then looked at Juvia and flashed a challenger's smile. "You'd better hit me with your best shot. We'll have a passionate contest, just like before. I'll look forward to it." Juvia turned a red as bright as Erza's hair, eyes widening to nearly pop out of her head.

"Gray!" Lucy yelped, eyes round and wide. "You can't tell a girl you're not interested and then say stuff like that!" _I can already imagine the fantasy in Juvia's head._

Gray blinked. "Stuff like what?" he asked. Lucy stared. _Oh Zen I think he's serious!_

"He's worse than Er-chan used to be," Milli pouted, while Natsu and Happy raced off to train and everyone else (besides a scowling Gray) laughed.

"So!" Lucy looked around in desperation. _New topic...new topic..._ "Elfman! Do you have a partner yet?"

The huge Take Over mage hung his head, almost pouting. "I never thought Lisanna and I would participate in the same year. Now I'm not sure who I can take..."

Lisanna giggled and pointed at Evergreen. Elfman stared at the Thunder Tribe wizard with bulging eyes, a shiver rippling across his back, while she glared back with a gaze as frosty as Ur's magic. "Looks like someone's not happy that Freed chose Bicks over her," Gray quipped.

"Does it really matter?" Ultear asked as she strode over, Cana grinning at her side. "The Crash Sisters are back, and we're taking the trials seriously this year. The rest of you can stay home if you want."

"Ultear! You're certainly full of life this year!" Milli cheered. Ultear's smile softened as she nodded to the cat-wizard.

"Yeah," Gray shot back, "especially for the first person to fail the trials four times." He smiled back at his sister with dagger-sharp eyes. Lucy gulped.

Ultear smirked at Gray, taking a step closer to him. "I was practically sleepwalking through them, baby brother. This year, I'm all fired up."

"If you're talking like Natsu, you probably left too many brain cells behind to win this year," Gray retorted. He took another step, and adopted brother and sister were face to face. Cana's smile vanished, and she gulped. _Eep._

Ultear laughed. "You're cute, Gray-chan. I beat Lyon with one punch and defeated Zero in his own lair. I have Crash magic and Arc of Space. What are you going to do, strip at me?"

"I'm a Devil Slayer," Gray said, his smile twitching. "Try Crashing through that." Lucy's eyes widened. _EEP!_

Cana grabbed Ultear's shoulder. "Whoa, okay, you two are officially taking this _too_  seriously!"

Lucy grabbed Gray's arm. "Come on, guys, this is getting out of hand!"

Cana and Lucy froze as Ultear and Gray blinked and looked at their partners, heads turning to examine them one after the other. Then brother and sister laughed. Lucy exhaled. "You'd better not go easy on me, Gray. I don't want anyone handing me S-Class," Ultear ordered.

"Same here," Gray replied, nodding with a more relaxed smile. "Hit me with everything you've got...nee-san." They hugged, and Lucy let her forehead rest on one hand. _These people are going to be the death of me..._

The group broke up, and Lucy noted the other teams: as she'd suspected, Kagura was Simon's partner, and Meredy was Juvia's. _It actually looks like Evergreen and Elfman are going to team up. So which Shadow Gear guy is Levy partnering with –_ Lucy gaped at where Gajeel was resting one arm on a pouting Levy's head, while the Shadow Gear boys watched in pale despair, jaws sagging to their chests. _Him? Wow, she really has forgiven Gajeel, huh?_

Lucy smiled, remembering the Iron Dragon Slayer's fierce defense of the guild during Laxus' madness, and his unrelenting drive against the armies of the Oracion Seis. _Good for her. He's earned it. I guess that just leaves Mest. I wonder what kind of partner he'll be looking for._ Lucy rubbed her chin, not noticing Juvia staring at her or Ultear giving her an appraising look. _Say, what kind of magic does Mest have, anyway? I don't remember..._


	85. Vol. 16, Ch. 7

Earthland-2, Magnolia, X784: Meredy

Meredy pouted, cheeks swelling, as Mest walked Wendy back toward Fairy Hills. "I'm not sure I like that, Juvia-chan," she muttered, hands on her hips. _If he's being creepy with her, I'm going to stick a hundred Psyche Blades in all his tender bits!_

"Jellal-dono vouches for him, Meredy," Juvia pointed out, eyes still firmly fixed on the ground. "Besides, Wendy is nearly as strong as you are. Juvia is sure she will do well."

Meredy snorted. "Wendy helped take down that dragon-mecha-thing on Edolas," she pointed out, remembering Jellal showing them the battle with a projection from his new hand. "She's way stronger than me."

"Meredy!" Juvia pouted right back at the pink-haired wizard, folding her arms. "Juvia will not hear you speak ill of your strength. Meredy is a wonderful Fairy Tail wizard."

"Juvia-chan..." Meredy twiddled her fingers, blushing with pride.

"Well, well." Juvia and Meredy both froze and stood up straight, eyes wide, as Ultear and Cana strode towards them. "It's nice to know that you're good for everyone in Fairy Tail _besides_  Gray."

A tiny drop fell on Meredy's shoulder. The young mage looked from the downcast Juvia, head hung low, to the suddenly-downcast sky, which had begun to drizzle. She grimaced at Ultear. "You may be my hero, Ultear, but you're – you're – you're wrong about Juvia-chan!" Meredy gulped as Ultear's eyes widened and Juvia gasped. The drizzle vanished as though its spigot had been turned off. "Juvia is a great wizard and a loyal member of Fairy Tail, she's been a fantastic mentor, and she really does care about Gray!" Cana chuckled, glancing at the space mage. Ultear's mouth had fallen just slightly open, forming a tiny "o" of shock. "Sure, she's strange – everyone in Fairy Tail is! Even Jellal has that weird chalk thing." Meredy glanced at Juvia. "That is weird, right, sensei?" Juvia nodded, blinking.

For a moment, Meredy thought she heard Ultear chuckle, but then she glared at the sky. _Oh, that must be the other Ultear,_ Meredy realized. Then Ultear turned her gaze back on Juvia, cool and sharp. "I was actually starting to think that you'd reined in your obsession, Lockser," she said. "Sure, you still make heart-eyes at my brother whenever he goes by, but the man does walk around half-naked most of the time." Meredy turned to Juvia, ready to defend her, but sighed at the sight of the aforementioned heart-eyes. _Great, she's having another fantasy attack,_  Meredy realized. "And then you completely lost your mind because Lucy wants to help her friends. Plural!" That snapped Juvia out of her latest vision, and the water mage turned her attention back to the physical world, and Ultear. "Would you care to explain your sudden regression?"

Cana took a breath to talk Ultear down, but then Juvia looked down again and blurted, "I know."

Ultear's head cocked to one side. "You know what?" she asked.

Juvia's hands became trembling fists. "Ju...Ju... _Juvia knows!"_ she cried, meeting Ultear's eyes, tears forming in her own. "Juvia knows that Gray-sama will never...can never..." Meredy stared in shock at her mentor as Juvia shook her head fiercely, a tear darting from her eyes. "It doesn't matter! Gray-sama is wonderful and warm and bright, and he makes the rain go away, but he can't ever see it! So Juvia...Juvia wants Gray-sama to be happy..." She bowed her head again, all three other mages staring at Juvia as she trembled, "...even if it means Love Rival is the one to shine through the ice."

"Wait," Cana gasped, and Meredy looked up to see the card mage shaking, one hand over her mouth. _Is Cana trying to not laugh?_ Meredy wondered. "Are you telling me you're pretending to be an obsessive nut-job to get Gray and Lucy _together?"_ After a brief pause, Juvia nodded, and the light drizzle returned. Seconds later, Cana had fallen over, sitting on the ground laughing. "Mavis! That would be the dumbest idea I'd ever heard if we weren't talking about Gray."

Ultear whirled on her half-sister. "Cana!" she objected, fists on her hips.

"Come on, Ultear, if Gray were any more withdrawn he'd be a Turtle Take-Over," Cana retorted in between chuckles. "It might've even been possible if Gray wasn't the brother Lucy never had."

Juvia looked up again, staring at Cana in shock. "Wh-what?" she gasped, and the drizzle faded away.

"Look, Juvia, you're really sweet – honestly, we're talking Jellal levels of martyrdom here – but Lucy came to Fairy Tail _looking_ for a family," Cana explained. "Only child, mom died when she was young, her father's an S-Class jerk, and almost everyone else she knew were servants? Natsu probably saved her life in Hargeon, and not just from Bora the Ex-Horror. Sure, she didn't grow up with Gray like most of us, but she's as immune to his abs as I am."

"Juvia cannot imagine any woman being immune to Gray-sama's muscles," she replied. There was a brief pause. "Anyone who is attracted to men, Juvia means," she amended.

"He's our brother, Sunshine," Cana said, and Juvia's eyes widened. The water mage almost smiled in spite of the confrontation. _Ooo, I'm stealing that one,_ Meredy decided. "I love Gray, but getting horizontal with him? Sorry, no. Besides, I grew up in a guild with him, Laxus, Jellal, and Loke in it. When it comes to guys, gorgeous isn't a goal, it's the starting line. Trust me, Lucy's the same way." She pulled out one of her cards and started to reach into it.

Ultear plucked the card from Cana's hand, then pulled her sister to her feet. "You've had enough," she insisted, putting the card back into the pouting Cana's deck. "As for you." Juvia stood at attention once Ultear focused on her again, but the space mage just sighed and deflated. "That's actually kind of sweet, but Cana's wrong about one thing – it _is_ stupid, Gray or no Gray. And you're still an obsessive nut-job, no matter how well-meaning you are." Meredy swallowed as Ultear pressed her hand to her forehead, eyes closed. "Mavis and Chronos. You need to get your head on straight, and you need to talk _to_ Gray instead of _at_ him. Preferably in that order, because Cana is right about Gray and Lucy."

Juvia sniffled. "Juvia...just wants Gray-sama to be happy," she whispered.

"Welcome to the club," Ultear groaned. "Take it from his meddling big sister. You can't force someone to be happy, no matter how much you love them." She turned. "Come on, Cana. We need some rest." She laughed. "Natsu might be planning to train for seven days straight, but I intend to pace myself."

"Aye sir!" Cana replied in a passable Happy impression, hand raised with a Fairy Tail salute.

"Wait," Meredy called. The Crash Sisters stopped and looked over their shoulders at the young wizard. "After last year's trial, you asked the Master not to nominate you again. What happened? Are you better now?"

Ultear smiled. "I was afraid of my power," she explained. Juvia and Meredy gasped as one. "I was stolen from my family, imprisoned, tortured – all because of the magic energy inside me. When I beat Zero..." she looked up, her smile growing nearly to Natsu proportions, "...I realized that my magic is mine. It's Fairy Tail's. And I never have to be afraid of my strength again." Juvia sniffled again and nodded, and Ultear took another step. She paused. "He does, though, doesn't he? Not just for you. For all of us."

"Mm!" Juvia agreed, nodding. The Crash Sisters strode off into the night. Meredy blinked. _Oh! "He makes the rain go away" – not past tense, present._ Meredy grabbed Juvia's hand and started towing her, Erza-style. "M-Meredy? Where are we going?"

"My place – Sunshine. You need an ice cream infusion, stat," Meredy said. Juvia hugged her, then followed meekly. _Diagnosis accurate,_ she thought, smiling. _Prescription: chocolate-chocolate chunk, one pint each, to be administered until cheerful._


	86. Vol. 17, Ch. 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I intended to break up the longer volumes by posting them in two halves, but given how long it's been since Vol. 16 went up, I decided to post the whole thing tonight. Enjoy! :-)

**Volume Seventeen: Dance With the Devil**

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Jellal

"Get moving!" Makarov ordered. "The trial begins now!" _Chronos, that brings back memories._

"Huh?" Gray blurted, blinking.

There were two sounds like bubble wrap bubbles popping. _Nice. Ultear and Simon stealing a march on everyone else – wait, where's Mest?_ Jellal scanned the ship, but Mest and Wendy had vanished as well. _Impressive. Mest can teleport without making a sound. That's quite an improvement over last year._ He rubbed his forehead. _I think._

Natsu and Happy launched themselves from the deck, but Freed had already warded the deck to block anyone else from heading towards the island. _Dirty pool already, I see,_  the star mage thought, shaking his head. Still, he couldn't help a smile, picturing Mirajane firing blasts at him when he'd been Erza's partner. The smile grew when Levy edited her way through Freed's ward, and he chuckled when Evergreen managed the same. That left Natsu, Gray, Juvia, and Lisanna waiting for their chance.

While four teams remained trapped on the Fairy Sail, Simon and Mest warped into existence at the array of tunnels awaiting them. The two teleporters looked at each other, backed away, then rushed portals a fair distance from one another. Kagura and Wendy yelped in nearly perfect unison, then rushed to follow. That was when Ultear and Cana appeared out of a field of cards. "Nice trick, Cana," Ultear said, flashing a thumbs-up.

Cana's smile was sad, and pain squeezed Jellal's heart for a moment. "Shou taught me that one," she explained. Ultear gave her a quick hug. "It's okay, sis. Every time I use one of his spells, it's like he's not completely gone, you know?" Jellal sniffed, rubbing his eyes.

Ultear nodded. "Okay. Mest is going down the calm path, and Simon's on one of the team battle paths. We'll take the other one." Portals flickered around the cave openings. _Whoa. Ultear really is taking this seriously._ He checked the tunnels. _Wait a minute. Ultear's report is inaccurate. She wouldn't lie to Cana, would she?_

"So why are we taking one of the battle paths ourselves?" Cana asked, half-pouting at her sister.

A fierce grin met Cana's skepticism. "Freed and Bickslow will reach the tunnels next. No matter which one they choose, my gateways will send them to us. " Ultear's chuckle was deep and satisfied. Cana joined in. "We prepped for them the most out of all our rivals, so they're our best shot as passing the first trial. Besides, it's payback time." Ultear blinked as she reached the door blocking the rest of the path, feeling at her Arc with twitching fingers. "Crap!"

"What? What?!" Cana yelped.

"I got Simon and Mest's portals backwards! I sent my boyfriend down the no-fight zone, and Wendy into a team battle!" Ultear gasped, hands gripping her head. Jellal chuckled. _Oops. Let's check on someone else._

As Ultear planned, Freed reached the island next, and her portals funneled the Thunder Tribe pair to her. Once they were through, all of her Arc magic vanished from the landing point. _From here out, it looks like tunnels go to the swift._ Elfman and Evergreen were next, between her wings and his Beast Soul's swimming. They picked Mira's path. Jellal shook his head. _Sorry, Elfman. Better luck next year._ Levy and Gajeel arrived shortly after them, and went to confront Ur. _Ouch. That's going to be rough, but I think they have an outside chance, if they use my solution to the Gildarts problem._ He pictured Levy trying to drag Gajeel away from a challenging battle. Sweat formed on his cheek. _Or maybe not._

Happy's speed got Natsu to the island just ahead of Lisanna and Milli, but the fire mage chose "E for Erza" – leading him straight to Gildarts. _And that's Natsu for the year._ Jellal watched Lisanna choose the tunnel leading to him, and plucked four pieces of chalk from his case – white and purple for Lisanna, black and orange for Millianna. _I won't go too easy on them, but Lisanna's Heaven Soul might be enough to overcome my challenge._ Juvia and Meredy reached the island almost immediately afterward...and got Erza's actual tunnel. _Oh dear. Well, I suppose Meredy's Psyche Blades might be enough, since Sea Empress won't be able to block them, but, well, Erza._ That left Gray and Lucy in last place, but the only tunnel remaining to them was the one leading to Mest and Wendy. _Mest is no pushover, but that's really the best they could have hoped for as a team, other than the calm path._

Jellal turned his attention to Simon and Kagura, who were staring at the "Rest Area" sign with vastly different expressions. Simon grinned and pumped his fist, while Kagura scowled ever so slightly, thumb rubbing Defender's hilt. "Looks like we hit the jackpot," Simon cheered. Then he looked at Kagura, and his smile vanished. "What's wrong, imoto?"

"There's no challenge in this, nii-san," the sword mage sighed.

"Mavis, Kagura, there's still at least two trials to go," Simon pointed out, waving for her to follow. "I would've preferred a good fight if it were just for fun, but this is for S-Class. A win is a win." The younger Mikazuchi trailed after the older, hand still on her hilt. _Just in case. Not a bad idea._  Jellal's smile twitched, another drop of sweat forming. _Except Master Makarov was serious about the luck thing. Honestly..._

Freed and Bickslow were the next to reach their challenge, but Ultear and Cana were waiting for them. Without the least ceremony, Ultear punched the air the moment the two were visible. "Arc Crash: Neutralization!" she cried. All of Freed's runes shattered, and Bickslow's babies fell from their broken vessels.

"Straight Flash!" Cana chanted, throwing five cards. Bickslow's babies swirled into Cana's traps, where they wailed in helpless frustration.

"That won't be enough to stop me," Bickslow retorted, reaching for his helmet. "Figure Ey-"

His fingers touched the card Cana had slipped onto the helmet, releasing a blinding burst of light. Even through ESP, Jellal felt the urge to look away. Cana laughed. "Ultear saw you coming before you reached Tenrou. This fight is ours!"

Freed struggled to his feet. "Not yet, it isn't. Dark Écriture: Wings!" He took to the air.

Ultear smiled and planted her fist in her palm. "Ice-Make: Dahlia." Freed came to a sudden halt, finding most of his body encased in a blossoming flower. "Crash." The explosion sent Freed and the still-blinded Bickslow flying. Ultear and Cana high-fived each other, while their opponents groaned on the floor. The gate opened. "Better luck next year, boys," she finished, waving as the two ladies headed off.

"So," Bickslow groaned when they were gone, "what was that about throwing the match?"

Freed twitched where he'd landed, but managed a smile all the same. "We never had a chance, did we?" He slumped, looking at the doorway, still smiling. "Ultear. This is...your time."

After a quick check-in with Elfman – _they're still holding up against Mirajane, not bad_ – Jellal looked in on Levy. "Iron Dragon Roar!" Gajeel howled, the signature Dragon Slayer spell shattering Ur's Rosenkrone. _They've already been at it for a bit._

"Ice Geyser," Ur retorted, burying Gajeel in a storm of frozen spikes.

"Solid Script: Arid!" Levy chanted, and a fierce wind tore through the battlefield. _That's new,_ Jellal thought, watching Ur's Ice dissipate. _A Solid Script adjective? Levy's truly learned to stretch her magic. Well done!_

Ur turned and smiled at Levy, who wailed and retreated. "You've come far, Levy. I'm proud, but that doesn't mean I'll hold back," the ice master warned. "Ice-Make: Snow Tiger." A massive sabertooth monster charged at the diminutive genius, who stumbled back.

A massive cylinder of iron lashed out, smashing the tiger to pieces. "Hey. Frosty." Gajeel stumbled out of the shards that had been Ice Geyser. His metal scales were cracked and one of his eyes twitched half-shut, but he challenged Ur with a ferocious grin. "You ain't done with me yet. Gee hee!"

Ur turned, fields of white magic rippling around her hands. "Glad to hear it. I'd hate to think Master Makarov had entrusted such an important mission to a weakling. _Ice Bringer!"_ Jellal's eyes widened as Ur charged at Gajeel, carrying twin swords so cold they left frost in their wake even after Levy's drying spell.

"Iron Dragon Swords!" Gajeel chanted back, both arms turning into whirling blades. He leaped at Ur without fear, turning his legs into clubs long enough to drive him at the ice mage.

"Solid Script: Wave!" Levy cried, and Ur's eyes widened. _Mavis! Did Levy just –_ Jellal wondered, but the Letter Mage's spell hit Ur from behind before he could finish his thought, and the anti-magic field disrupted Ice Bringer long enough for Gajeel to send Ur flying.

"Magnificent," Ur breathed, bracing against a cave wall and pushing herself up. "You pass."

Levy and Gajeel gaped, the Dragon Slayer's arms returning to normal. "We did it!" Levy cheered.

Gajeel scooped her up in an enormous hug. "Yeah! Didn't I say you'd make the big time with me?" he cried.

Ur chuckled. Levy and Gajeel blinked, their eyes meeting. Both turned a brilliant, familiar scarlet. Jellal smiled as the two flew apart as if they were aflame. _Which, in a way, they are._ "C-come on, Gajeel! This is only the first trial," Levy pointed out.

"Right," Gajeel agreed, swallowing. "You gonna be okay, Frosty?"

Ur nodded. "I've gotten worse than this breaking up fights between Gray and Natsu," she replied, shooing them off with a one-handed wave. "Get going." The two nodded back and rushed onward, Ur's gaze following them as her smile grew gentle. "My, my. That's going to be interesting."

 _They beat Master Ur?_ Jellal wondered, staring in amazement at the image. _Mother Mavis. They beat Master Ur. We're definitely getting an S-Class wizard this year._ He started to turn his attention to Natsu, but the sound of Millianna's claws on the stone ahead brought the Starburst's focus to his own challenge.

Jellal had seen the two wizards coming, but when they gaped in horror at the challenge they faced, it was clear they hadn't been expecting _him._ Lisanna gulped. "It's...Jellal..."

"We're doomed, nyan," Milli whimpered.

Jellal frowned. "If you're so quick to surrender, perhaps Master Makarov chose unwisely." He chopped at the air, and his four chosen chalk cylinders flew out to point at them. The earth itself shook as Gildarts unleashed his might. Quietly, he sent a fifth piece of chalk to create a Solid Seal behind him. "Natsu faces the Ace of Fairy Tail, yet does not falter. What will you do?"

"I love Natsu, Jellal, but he's been picking fights with Gildarts ever since he joined," Lisanna pointed out. "He doesn't have a chance."

"I got past Gildarts during my S-Class trial," Jellal pointed out. Lisanna's jaw dropped.

Millianna lit up. "Oh, yeah!" She giggled. "We tricked him and ran past." In an eyeblink, Jellal's oldest friend went from laughter to pouting. "There's no way you're not ready for that."

Jellal shrugged. "We're encouraged to not alter the battlefield until your arrival." He smirked. Lisanna stared, blinking, while Milli's pout redoubled. "Of course, since you've been standing there complaining instead of fighting..." he knocked on the Solid Seal his scarlet chalk had created. Both women gaped, eyes bulging. He slid into Meteor Form, the core of his cosmic martial art. "Are you ready to give up? Or are you ready to strive for S-Class?"

"He's right, Milli!" Lisanna cried. "Take Over: Heaven Soul!" A column of divine white light erupted around the young shapeshifter, and she became an angel of might and magic. "You go after that Seal wall. I'll tangle with Jellal!"

Milli blinked, then nodded. "Right! I'm full of life!" With that, the cat wizard sprang at the Seal, her capture tubes lashing out as spinning drills. _That's more like it!_ Jellal exulted, readying himself for Lisanna's charge.

The Strauss sister did not disappoint. "Angel Rush!" she chanted, flying at him with speed equaling Mira's.

Alas for Lisanna, Jellal was faster. "Meteor Wave," he said, grabbing Lisanna's outstretched arm and throwing her into Milli. They both wailed in shock, tumbling across the plane of the Solid Seal. "Stone Lock!" The ground reached up to grab the two. Lisanna reacted with almost instinctive power, white-gold light pulsing from her legs to push the earth away, but Milli found herself encased nearly up to her waist. Fortunately, she was able to use her capture tubes to lash at the impromptu prison and free herself.

The battle went back and forth for a few more minutes. Jellal tried to use his chosen chalk pieces to knock them out with sleep spells, but Lisanna's Light Magic and Milli's claws were enough to counter his efforts. _I think I'm winning,_ Jellal thought, _but they're managing nicely. I'm glad they didn't just give up._

Then Gildarts unleashed his full power. Lisanna and Milli gasped, turning in the guild Ace's direction. "Natsu!" Lisanna gasped.

"Wind Arms!" Jellal chanted, and twin fists of air knocked the pair to the ground. Then he opened both fists, and the resulting hands grabbed them and pinned them against the cavern wall. "You both did well," he explained, Milli's ears wilting, "but S-Class missions are often life-or-death struggles. One distraction can result in the end of your career." Lisanna's head drooped. _Or worse. Glad to see you get it._ Jellal released them both and banished the damaged Solid Seal. "There's a rest area not far from the staging point for the second trial. You can go there, if you like." He released Meteor Wave, took a step, and winced. "That's what I'm going to do. You've been training, Lisanna," he noted, rubbing his ribs. _Oof. She's gotten strong._

"Thanks," Lisanna muttered. "Um, can we check on Natsu? I'm worried about him."

Jellal shrugged and turned his remote viewing into an image spell. Natsu knelt before the terrifying image of Gildarts' silhouette, all that could be seen in the room-sized column of force that surrounded the guild's most powerful mage. Lisanna gasped. Milli leaned in closer, peering at Natsu in confusion. "Is he...afraid?" Millianna asked.

 _Huh._ Jellal watched a bit more closely himself. _I think he is. That's new._ All at once, the column vanished, and Gildarts smiled. "Oh!" Jellal blurted.

"What?" Lisanna turned to him with impressive speed, given their fight.

"Natsu just passed. 'Fear is not evil,'" he quoted, glancing at Milli. His old friend meowed, smiled at him, and licked her knuckles. When they continued on, he let them get a little ways ahead, then concentrated on the remaining battles.

Elfman and Evergreen were grinning and leaning on each other, limping down the path, while Mirajane sat on the ground and chuckled to herself. _They beat Mira? Gods. I'm starting to think Milli might have a point about opening up the S-Class trials. Most of them are going to qualify again next year, no doubt about it._ He let his mind wander at last to Erza, who was grinning and panting as she stared down a wobbly Juvia and a Meredy with a dozen Psyche Blades orbiting her. _Whoa. They're still up against Erza? I'm_ definitely _talking to Master Makarov about 785._ He took a quick peek at Gray and Lucy, to find that Mest was unconscious, and the two were eating fruit at a cowering Wendy. He couldn't help but laugh. _Natsu's weakness is motion sickness, and Wendy has...pickled plums. Okay then._

That left Erza and her challengers. Jellal turned his hearing toward the battle along with second sight. "...done well, Juvia, but this contest is over." Titania was still (or back) in her Sea Empress Armor, leaning on the accompanying sword. _Well. Looks like they've given her a real fight,_ Jellal thought, noting the wear on her body and ethernano.

"Really?" Meredy snapped. "Because I'm pretty sure we're still standing." Jellal blinked. _The Grim? What happened to Merry?_ The mind mage shifted into an aggressive stance, clearly ready to charge. "Come on, Juvia-chan. Let's show this full metal jerk you're ready to be S-Class!" Jellal's eyes narrowed. _Now just a minute!_

Juvia quivered for a moment, then glanced at Meredy and nodded. For a moment, Jellal felt Meredy's telepathy come to life. Erza smiled, and then they charged at her as one. The Psyche Blades flew at Titania one at a time, as Juvia swirled in an ever-growing mass of fluid. "Water...NEBULA!" the water wizard chanted, and the entire cavern swirled with her power. The pair struck at Erza in almost simultaneous blows, Juvia's Nebula trailing the slightest fraction behind Meredy's blades.

Erza's armor flickered with speed beyond even Jellal's ability to track _sans_ Meteor. _Flicker-flash,_ a hint of silver with each Psyche Blade blow, and then back to Sea Empress for Juvia. His beloved Titania did this, without fail, a dozen times. When both challengers reached her with defiant roars, Erza's smile grew a fraction, and then her sword flashed out, knocking them both out of the sky. "My apologies, Meredy," she said, twirling her sword with a flash. _"Now_ this contest is over." With that, she Requipped back into her basic Heart Kreuz.

"Mm, mm," Juvia and Meredy groaned where they landed, nodding in unison.

"So you know, child, I am not offended by your passionate words," Erza added, her back to her still-twitching victims. "You defended your partner and fought with all your might. Such is the way of Fairy Tail!" She pointed skyward.

"However." Erza turned, folding her arms and gazing at the two without pity. "You underestimated the speed of my Requip and strength of my defense. Had your attacks been simultaneous, it is possible you would have emerged triumphant." Jellal couldn't help a smile that echoed hers. _Oh, Erza._ He glanced ahead, sunlight streaming in from the tunnel's end. _It should be interesting to see who overcomes the second trial first._ He rubbed his chin. _Then again, I can assume nothing this year._ He placed two fingers to his forehead. _Master, did you place teleportation wards around the island's center?_

Somewhere ahead, the Master's smile instantly transformed into a dropped jaw. The Starburst chuckled. _Just another year's S-Class trials in Fairy Tail..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOTATION: This volume's title comes from the Joker's catchphrase, "Have you ever danced with the devil by the pale moonlight?", from Batman (1989).


	87. Vol. 17, Ch. 2

lEarthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Ultear

"All right!" Cana cheered, Ultear's portal revealing an elaborate headstone. "That has to be it!" Makarov sat before it, slowly opening his eyes to greet the two wizards.

"I only had to create three portals to get here. Third time's the charm, right, Master?" Ultear strode through, Cana on her heels. With a snap of her fingers, she closed the Arc gate. "What's next?"

"Hm." Master Makarov stood, brushing off his shorts. "Not bad. 'Third time is the charm.' You see, your third trial is right here." He gestured at the memorial. Ultear waited for the rest of the challenge. And waited. And...waited.

Both ladies blinked. Makarov grinned. _"That's it?!"_ they cried as one. Makarov nodded, smile broadening.

Veins throbbed on Ultear's forehead. "Evil grandpa..." she muttered. Makarov's smile vanished, and his head fell to one side, losing color. "Okay." She stepped around the still-frozen Master, peering at the oddly-designed tombstone. _Split in two, with smaller markers on the sides...and a hole in the center? Hm._ On a whim, she stuck her arm through the opening. There was a faint tingle of ether, but nothing else. Ultear pulled out her arm. "Hm. Cana? Spread?"

Behind her, Cana performed one of her three-card readings. "Queen of Wands. The Magician. Ace of Cups." Her sister whistled. "Heady stuff. We're talking primal imagery when it comes to magic, here."

"The beginning," Ultear whispered, and Makarov coughed behind her. "The Master likes to have the final trial come full circle, endings turning into beginnings." She glanced over her shoulder at Cana. "Puzzle, or instinct?"

"Instinct, definitely," Cana replied, summoning her cards to her deck with a gesture. "I think finding the grave site was supposed to be the intellect test." She flashed Makarov a fierce grin. "You know, when funneled through the Master's demented brain." Makarov face-faulted, legs twitching in the air. "This is the art side of magic. Feeling, not calculating."

Ultear nodded. "Love you, Cana." She took a deep breath, let it go. "There's nothing more basic than the first steps. 'Believe in yourself. Believe in magic. Believe in harmony with nature.' It's been a while."

Makarov stood, brushing himself off. "I recall you saying," he replied, "that you were no longer afraid of your power."

Ultear's eyes widened, misting with tears. Makarov's smile returned, gentle and knowing. She threw a hug around the tiny guild master. "I know you're not evil," she blurted, Makarov patting her back. The last pat came perilously close to her waist, though, so she stood up straight and held him by the back of his collar. "Get fresh, though, and I'll tell my mom." Makarov gulped and nodded. Ultear dropped him, turned around again, and gazed into the opening. _Was that a hint of gold? Believe. I have to believe I'm worthy. That it's okay for me to deserve this._ For just an instant, she thought she saw a girl with long golden hair smiling at her, but the impression vanished, and a tiny guild logo appeared in the center of the opening. Her hand trembling, Ultear reached in and grasped it.

Runes formed in the air as the golden light surrounded Ultear: "In this place is sealed the second of the Three Holy Spells of Fairy Tail: Fairy Glitter." The space mage stared at the words. _I don't understand. A spell is the final trial? Why –_ she started to pull her hand out, attempting to draw forth the sacred magic –

_Fear._ Ultear froze, quivering. _Terror. Power to crack the world, in the hands of a woman who ruined it once before._ She shook her head in fierce denial. _No! That's not me! Even if it ever was, I surpassed this! I beat Zero! Faced my fear! This can't be happening!_ She pulled harder.

Images filled her mind, clearer than any of her nightmares had ever been. Her younger self, studying the darkest magics at the feet of a bearded giant of a wizard. Watching with a cruel smile as she tore Jellal's heart asunder with that same magic. Casually ordering a hundred crystal spheres to murder the dying in a ruined city. Taking an innocent girl and turning her into an emotionless killer. Smiling beneath a mask of a man to twist Lyon into yet another of her monsters. Standing over Juvia with a sword in her hand, ready to cut out her heart _just to hurt Gray._ It took all of Ultear's strength not to collapse. _If I let go, I fail..._ she knew, the realization a shimmering truth obscured by the horrors of another life. "Ultear!" Cana gasped.

_Fear is not evil._ A memory of her own shoved aside the visions that haunted her: warm, safe, held by her mother, father, sister, brother, all huddled around her after a grand mal night terror left Ultear a thrashing wreck. _It teaches us what our weakness is, so we can become kinder and stronger._ Ultear shook her head, casting aside the tears. Newer memories of her world-sister succeeded the older: Jellal and Meredy forgiving her counterpart's evil, the trio fighting a secret empire that gripped a nation's heart alongside a pirate gang straight out of One Piece, laughing as they watched the fireworks celebrating a new year, comforting the terrified children they'd rescued from a slaver gang, punching a hole through entire universes to save one broken girl. _This is what my savior became, when she started with nothing._ Looking over her shoulder, she saw Cana pushing through enormous magic pressure to reach her.

Ultear smiled. _Of course. The trials never end. Just because we overcome our fear and sorrow today, that doesn't mean they won't be there tomorrow._ The smile broadened, new tears trickling down her cheeks. _That's why our guild really exists. The great battles and cruel enemies are just a side effect, hate and jealousy reacting to what we have even though our hands always reach out to our foes. We're really here to be the strength everyone needs when the pain makes us weak._ She faced the golden light again and stopped pulling. _I love Fairy Tail!_ Instead, she opened her fist, palm coming to rest beneath the cool flame. It sank into her hand, her bones, her heart. Fairy Glitter wrote itself into the guild mark on her back.

Makarov gasped. "Ippon!" he cheered, holding his fan high. "As Third Master of Fairy Tail, I declare the X-784 S-Class Trials complete! Congratulations, S-Class wizard Ultear Milkovich!"

Ultear looked at the glowing mote in the palm of her hand, already fading to nothing. _You understand,_ a gentle feminine voice said, and the daughter of Ur could hear the smile in it. _Go forward, and draw strength from all your trials._ Then Cana threw herself at Ultear, half-crushing her sister in an enormous hug. "You did it!"

Somehow, Ultear turned in Cana's grip to return the embrace. "No. We did it." She smiled at Master Makarov, who reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white flare tube.

Above them, a red signal flare beat Makarov's golden one to the punch. As one, the Crash Sisters gasped. "Condition Red?" Ultear clenched her fist. "Who would dare?"

"It doesn't matter," Makarov replied, firing his flare all the same. Ultear glanced down at the guild master, one eyebrow quirking up. "The rest of the guild should know that they have another S-Class wizard fighting for them," he explained, grinning. Cana nodded.

"Arc of Space: Communication," Ultear chanted, and tiny portals appeared near the throats and ears of multiple Fairy Tail wizards. "Everyone, check in."

"You're the S-Class wizard, aren't you?" Natsu whimpered. Cana laughed.

"Tch," Gray chided him. "This isn't the time, Flame-Brain. We're under attack!"

Simon cleared his throat. "Guys? This might be more awkward than I would've thought, but we have, erm, reinforcements." Ultear blinked and opened a full portal to Simon and Kagura. _They went to the upper island,_ she realized, clouds drifting by at their eye level. Before the siblings stood three figures in Jellal-blue cloaks. As one, they removed their hoods.

_Jellal. Me. And...is that grown-up Meredy?_ Jellal-1 nodded to Ultear through the portal. "We have been forced aside by Grimoire Heart too many times, so we came here in advance. We've frozen time in our own world, so our presence here will not endanger anyone there." He bowed more deeply to Master Makarov. "My apologies, Master. I know this is your guild's sacred ground, but given the gravity of the crisis, we thought it best to intervene personally."

Master Makarov's smile bore a striking resemblance to an angry Natsu's. "On the contrary. I welcome any assistance in facing those who would threaten this old man's children." White-gold light burned around the tiny Wizard Saint. "No matter who those enemies might be."

"Master?" Ultear swallowed. "You know they're on our side, right?"

Makarov nodded. "They are members of Fairy Tail in every way that matters, no matter the marks they bear. I refer to...another. Their Jellal left me a note before we set sail. I know who Master Hades truly is." He sighed. "I will face him, alone."

Jellal-1 gasped. "Master-!"

"I know, my boy," Makarov replied, "but I am better prepared, and based on what you've told me, our world's Hades has learned from the defeat of yours. We will need all your power to defend this sacred island." Before Ultear could say anything else, Master Makarov shot towards the coastline, flying with Meteor-like speed.

"World-sister." Ultear-1 watched the Master's light fly towards the enemy, then turned to her counterpart. "Grimoire Heart is an enemy unlike any you have faced before. Until now, your Fairy Tail has only faced skirmishes with them. This is a war, one they believe will bring them ultimate power, and Hades intends to win."

Cana snorted. "Then they should never have come to Fairy Tail's sacred ground. Come on, sisters, let's show these creeps who they picked a fight with!"

"Right!" Ultear nodded, then waved at the portal. "Simon, stay safe. We'll catch up later, Ul-One." She winked, and before their counterparts could reply, the gateway vanished.


	88. Vol. 17, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Simon

"God, when did I become such a brat?" Ultear-1 shook her head. "I'd forgotten what a joke Fairy Tail's idea of strategy is." Simon chuckled. _I should really be concentrating on the bad guys, but Jumping Mavis, Ultear's going to age well._

"They did beat us, Mom," Meredy-1 pointed out. Ultear-1 groaned, head hanging with a shadow over it.

"We'll manage, Ultear-san," Simon reassured his beloved's counterpart. The older Ultear sighed, slowly pulling her hood back on. Jellal-1 still hadn't really looked at him. _Did I say something wrong?_ he wondered.

Throwing his cloak aside to drape behind his shoulders, Jellal-1 strode to the edge of the upper island, eyes narrowing at the sight of the Grimoire Heart airship. Simon shivered. _Gods. That thing hasn't gotten any less creepy in eight years._ Kagura looked at the star mage. "Do you have a plan, Jellal-san?"

"Zone defense," Jellal-1 replied, kneeling at the upper island's edge. "Your world's Hades has taken extra precautions, increased the number of his elites, and added to his army. We will counter them, to a degree."

"So why didn't the guild master take more precautions–" Meredy-1 began.

Just then, Makarov grew to titanic proportions, and beams of light sprang up all along the island's shoreline. Simon grinned. "Never sell our master short," he quipped.

Kagura and Ultear-1 groaned. "Let's move," Jellal-1 ordered, and the cloaked trio flew across the sky, orbiting the Tenrou Tree as the Grimoire Heart airship approached.

"That was a terrible pun, nii-san," Kagura sighed. Simon merely broadened his grin. _Is there any other kind?_ His sister gripped Defender's hilt. "We should check in with the examiner's camp. Since Master Makarov is preoccupied, Gildarts or Erza-nee should know what to do next." Simon nodded and reached out to the shadows, enveloping the pair in darkness. The world shifted above them, and when they emerged, they found the cluster of tents where the S-Class members had gathered before the trials. Jellal was in the process of untying his apron, while Mirajane was wolfing down a bowl of stew. Lisanna, Millianna, and Meredy were huddled together in the other corner of the meal tent.

"Ah, Simon, Kagura. Good," Jellal greeted them, pulling off the apron and commanding it to fold itself with a gesture. "Erza and Juvia found Levy and Gajeel. They were attacked by advance forces, but Levy's team defeated them. That just leaves Mest and Wendy unaccounted for."

"Wendy's still out there?" Simon blurted, grimacing. "We need to get them back here! Jellal, did you set up a Solid Seal around the camp?"

The Starburst nodded. "It's set up to let guild members through, but no one else. I've also covered us from above and below, and shielded against teleportation. Obviously, you, Ultear, and Mest can slip in," he explained.

Simon froze mid-nod. "Wait, Mest's magic is teleportation?" he asked, scratching his head. _Oh yeah, that's right. Isn't it?_

"Mm, mm, and telepathy," Jellal explained, "but his mental range is limited. I'll–"

An explosion echoed in the distance. "Mavis!" Millianna blurted, ears twitching. "That was at sea! The Fairy Sail–"

"–is beyond even your hearing by now, Milli," Jellal replied, frowning. "Meredy, you're with me. Everyone else, remain here, in case the camp is attacked. Simon, stay linked with me – rapid extraction protocol." Five pieces of chalk flew out of Starburst's coat pocket to orbit him. Simon gulped and nodded again. _Jellal's in hyper-prep mode. He's worried. That can't be good._ Jellal waved to Meredy, who strode to his side, and the pair shot through the sky with Meteor speed.

Millianna unleashed an epic-level pout. "He took the kid?" she whined. "That doesn't make me feel lively at all."

"She is older than Wendy," Kagura pointed out, "and her unique Psyche Blades have the power to penetrate most defenses, even elemental forms. They will make a formidable pair, while our abilities are suited to search-and-rescue as well as neutralization of wizard attackers." She glanced at Millianna. "If the enemy is using mind control, you and I will be particularly effective in stopping guild members without harming them." She glanced at Mirajane, who had finished her stew. "Also, we have the She-Demon."

Millianna whistled. "You're really good at this, Kagura-san," she gushed, smiling and pressing her hands together.

Kagura looked away, head ducked to hide her expression. "I paid attention when Jellal-nii and Erza-nee held their strategy classes," she explained, but Simon could feel the embarrassed pride glowing from his little sister. _Enough. Focus, focus..._

His mind raced through the island, where a poisoned darkness infected Tenrou's sheltering shadows. _The enemy knows the island? Our island? How?_ Simon pushed through the venom, forcing the void to let him see. _Fairy Tail, I have a Shadow Eye update,_ he sent, projecting his thoughts to everyone not in battle. _We have multiple known foes on the island. Trinity Raven is here, though they've split up, just like in the Tower. Vidaldus and Ikaruga have Lizard Men with them, and Fukuro is teamed up with...a girl?_ Simon double-checked, and there was a raven-haired young lady with her hair bound in twin buns. _Crap. She's being controlled. Zalty crystal in her neck._ Mira gasped, one hand curling into a fist.

_Do you recognize anyone else?_ Jellal asked. _This is getting dicey. And weird. There's a goat-man with a jet-pack right out of Flash Rogers dropping spheres all over the island. They're carrying Grimoire's foot soldiers and Lizard Men._

_There's Natsu's old sparring partner Erigor, the crazy fire guy Zancrow, "Mr. Cursey," and...oh, no._ Simon's mind raced, his fingers sliding away from his brow. _How do I tell him? Can I keep him away from them?_ Mira put one hand on his shoulder, the others looking at Simon with concern.

_Simon? What's wrong? Simon!_ Jellal cried, his flight coming to a sudden halt. _I'm heading back._

_No. We're fine. It's just...they're here._ Simon took a deep breath and gathered his courage. _Brain. Daphne._ In spite of his best efforts, the Darkness Mage closed his eyes. _Siegrain. There's no crystal in his neck. I'm sorry, Jellal._

_It's...it's okay,_ Jellal lied. _We'll – MAVIS!_ As one, Jellal and Simon cast their minds to where Master Makarov had been holding off the airship. A blast of demon-shadow threw their mentor through the sky above Tenrou, and Simon quickly lost sight of their shrinking guild master. _I'm going after the Master! You get injured to the camp, keep them safe._

_Jellal – damn it!_  Simon swore when Jellal's mind vanished from the link. He looked up to find a growing number of goons and Lizard Men surrounding them. "Good. I need to let off some steam. Imoto! Portable Hole!"

"Understood." Kagura held out the still-sheathed Defender. "Gravity Change."

Simon spread out his arms, "Shadow Pit," he chanted. Kagura's magic crushed the entire army to earth, where Simon's Darkness Magic swallowed them up without a fight. Millianna cheered. "That's only the first wave, Milli."

"Mm," Mira nodded. "Everyone, spread out. We have to defend the camp. Simon, begin searching for wounded guild members. Take Kagura, then bring them here the instant you can."

"Understood." Simon glanced at the others. "Don't underestimate those walking suitcases. Remember, Daphne's here, and she learns from every defeat."

"Yeah, but there's a reason Master chose you for the trials, nyan," Milli replied. "We'll just have to learn faster than meat-girl." Simon nodded. _Yeah. It's just easier said than done..._


	89. Vol. 17, Ch. 4

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Bickslow

_Dark Mages! Fairy Tail's under attack! It's Grimoire Heart! They have an army! Jellal's evil brother's here!_

Bickslow whistled, and Freed clapped his hands over his ears. _Calm down, babies! Daddy's got it all under control._ He sighed as they echoed his thoughts. "Oh, man. It's been a while since the babies were this freaked out," the soul mage noted.

Freed nodded. "Please maintain control over them. Ur and Gildarts have both returned to the island, which means the situation could not be more serious." He straightened his lapels, which was as unnecessary as ever.

Bickslow laughed, letting his tongue loll out. "You're always serious, Freed. You gotta learn to relax!" The babies called "relax, relax!" after him.

With a familiar long-suffering sigh, Freed pointed at the unconscious goons around them with his sword. "If these villains are any indication, Fairy Tail has never faced an enemy so evil or dangerous. Even you must comprehend the gravity of the situation."

A web shot out from the trees, latched onto Freed's sword, and yanked it out of his hand. Bickslow's eyes nearly popped out of his skull, which made him grateful for his helmet. _That would look so uncool, especially with my Figure Eyes – but who could grab Freed's sword like that? He's a lot stronger th–_

"My, my, said the spider to the fly," a girlish voice called, "you're stronger than you look." A slender figure younger than Kagura descended, upside-down, from a thick branch. She wore a black body stocking with a red web pattern across it, a silver vambrace on each arm. Four spider legs stretched from her back, two holding onto the web that held her aloft. Her hair was an incongruous bright green, done up in thick curls. "A pity for you, no insect is a match for me."

"We're neither insects nor prey, witch!" Freed retorted, already drawing runes with his fingers.

_He's slower like that, though,_ Bickslow thought, pulling off his helmet. "Go, babies! Line Formation!" They obeyed, firing a blast at the spider woman. She vanished into the trees, still laughing. "Freed, get behind me."

Freed moved to obey, but a spray of webbing latched onto the whole front of his body, covering Freed's eyes and tangling his arms. Bickslow leaped up, grabbing onto a branch and mentally commanding the babies to create a platform, but Freed vanished before the Seith Mage could reach his partner. Again, the Grimoire wizard laughed. "Your island just became my parlor, soul stealer," she called from above.

_This is bad. Can't let her see it._ Bickslow let his tongue loll out, wagging his guild mark in what he figured was her direction. "You gotta look at me sometime, kid. Or I could just wait until sunset for your daddy to send you to bed. Aren't you–"

The woman slammed into him from behind, her feet cracking his ribs as she crushed Bickslow to the ground. "Take Over: Venom Soul!" she snarled, and the weight atop his back nearly doubled. "Web Wave!" Her webbing held him to the ground, suppressing his ethernano. "I'm putting you down, you arrogant creep!"

"Victory Formation," Bickslow gasped, his ribs complaining at length about every syllable. His babies formed their V, flying at the dark wizard and firing their spread of blasts. She leaped off Bickslow, dodging every blast with agility beyond anything he'd ever seen. "Zen," he breathed. "Are you sure I can't talk you into joining Fairy Tail? Or running away to the circus? I know people." He looked around, but she'd vanished again. Freed descended from the canopy, wrapped from ankles to mouth, making desperate muffled noises through the web gag. "Babies, cut Freed loose. I've got a spider girl to hit with a newspaper."

When she latched onto his back a second time, Bickslow knew he was in trouble. "Blood Thirst," she whispered, and he had just enough time to start panicking before she sank fangs into his neck. The dark wizard drank his magic right along with his blood. Even his babies fell to earth, unmoving, just before Bickslow himself went limp.

The green-haired girl wrapped Bickslow up in her webbing, carried him up the tree as though he weighed no more than one of his dolls, and strung him up right beside Freed. "If one of your friends rescues you, tell them that the girl who pounded you flat is Araña Webb, one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory. If they don't, well..." she patted him on the cheek and licked her lips. "Your blood is _delicious."_ With that, she vanished into the trees again. _Well. That could have gone better..._


	90. Vol. 17, Ch. 5

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Ur

_It's a good thing I came back with Gildarts and the Thunder boys,_ Ur thought, staring down the mind control music that roared before her. "If you can hear me, don't bother," she called. "I have defenses. All you're doing is annoying me."

"My Rock of Succubus didn't work? How–" Vidaldus babbled, playing with frantic abandon on his guitar. Ur sighed and unleashed Rosen Krone on him. The bizarre musician went flying, landing in the pile of robot Lizard Man parts she'd left in her wake. _It can't be that easy. Trinity Raven must be here as hirelings, not genuine threats._ She placed two fingers to her temple. _Simon? Meredy? Jellal? Anyone there?_

_Simon here, Lady Ur,_ the shadow mage sent. _We've got fights breaking out all over the island. Natsu's fighting Zancrow, Leo's fighting the goat-guy while Ultear and Cana protect Lucy – they think he's Capricorn, apparently, and they're worried that he might be after her._

Ur's eyes widened. _Where's Gray? He wouldn't abandon Lucy – Zen, is he the distraction?_

Simon gulped. _Uh, yes ma'am. He's looking for Erza and Juvia, and he's got an ice copy of Lucy with him. Dynamic Ice Magic._ The shadow mage scanned the battlefield while Ur fumed. _He insists that he's trying to lure goat-guy to Erza, but Ultear thinks he's worried about Juvia._

_Tell him I said to go back to the examiner's camp,_ she demanded, _then continue updating me._

_Right. Er – oh Mavis, Freed and Bickslow are down._ An explosion erupted near the center of the island. _Ow...and so is the Master...Jellal's working on two Zaltys, Elfman and Evergreen are fighting a conjurer, and trees are attacking the camp with the foot soldiers and Lizard Men._

Ur took a deep breath. _Master Makarov first. Any sign of his opponent?_

_Sorry, no,_ Simon replied with a groan. _That guy's magic is why darkness is equated with evil. I can't get close._

_Understood._ Ur turned in the Master's direction. _I'll find–_

A beam of blue-white light tore through the air, shattering Ur's ice bulwarks and slamming her across the beach. _Master Ur!_ Simon cried.

_Find the others!_ Ur ordered. _Stay in touch with them, evacuate the wounded! I'll handle this._ With that, she cut Simon off and looked up at her assailant.

Daphne.

The inventor floated above the ice mage, the ether around Daphne swirling into her like a whirlpool. Her smile was manic and sharp, her eyes glinting with madness. Her distinctive glasses were absent, as was her ever-present hat. In their places were dragon wings, a lashing tail, and two blade-like horns curving up and back behind her ears. They were all black with blue markings.

Ur felt chills in spite of her magic and the island's heat. _Gildarts described the monster that beat him as "black and blue death." Could Daphne have – no. Impossible._ The ice mage shook her head, planting fist in palm. _She's a scavenger. A thief. I will freeze her solid._ Ur took a step towards her foe. "Yield," she ordered.

"Mmm...no," Daphne replied, firing slicing beams from both palms. Ur dodged and summoned ramparts. The beams shattered her barriers, but Ur's ice slide carried her out of the attack pattern. "So, you're that cutie Gray's step-mom, huh?" She flew closer to earth, blasting Ur's ice geysers with contemptuous ease. "I hear you've kind of adopted my Jelly baby, too." As she approached the beach, the sand skittered away from her feet. Daphne's smile grew. "Well. I guess you'll have to die."

"Ice Volcano!" Ur chanted, and her most powerful spell erupted beneath the dragon-woman. Daphne screamed and flew into the air, water becoming ice in volumes enough to fill a lake. The resulting spire reached the cliffs above. Ur could just barely make Daphne out near her creation's peak. _Whew._ Ur leaned on her knees, taking deep breaths. _That was –_

The entire miniature mountain shattered, Daphne roared in fury, a thick beam of blue-white rage lashing out across the sky. "You'll pay for that, ice witch! Ether Dragon Claw!" She dove at Ur feet-first, magic light creating talons around her boots.

"Rose Garden!" Ur chanted, and a massive wall of ice shot up to block Daphne's path. The Grimoire mage's attack shattered the entire creation, striking Ur in the gut. The ice mage skipped across the ground, screaming as her body tumbled through the air, across the sand, hitting the ground again and again –


	91. Vol. 17, Ch. 6

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Ultear

_Mom?_

Ultear looked around. Fallen Lizard Men were all that remained of their foes. "Cana? Lucy? Are you two okay?"

"Yeah, thanks," Lucy gasped, panting. Virgo nodded and vanished.

Cana chuckled and made several of her cards float in the air. They all flared with magic light, dumping leather and crystal onto the ground around her. "I paid attention in Blue's classes this week. Looks like an S-Class sister isn't all I got from them." Ultear's smile was born and died in almost the same instant. Cana glanced at her out of the corner of one eye. "Everything all right, 'Tear?"

"Mom cut Simon off. Just a bit ago, I thought I felt..." Ultear grimaced. "It doesn't matter. Let's get Lucy to safety, then go Crash some Kin."

"I'm a Fairy Tail wizard too!" Lucy objected, pulling out another key. "I'm not just going to run and hide."

Ultear sighed. "I understand how you feel, Lucy – better than you know – but if Loke's right, Caprico's after you." She turned to face the trembling blonde, who clutched her Gemini key and gritted her teeth. "I get it, Lucy, believe me. This hurts, especially after Phantom Lord. You'll get your shot. For now, let us get you away from the creepy stalker goat guy, all right? Please?"

Lucy nodded, still gripping the Gemini key as though she could summon them through pure force. Ultear waved, and her two companions followed. Small fry and Lizard Men impeded them, the artificial dragon-soldiers growing stronger with each battle. _We can't let this continue much longer, or Daphne's monsters will beat us before we can even get to their leaders._  She put her fingers to her forehead. _Jellal? You're the team engineer. Please tell me you've got some way to erase the Lizard Man archive._

_I'm working on it,_ Jellal admitted, putting his fist through another Zalty. _Daphne's prepped a lot of these higher-end drones to come after me, but that's letting me study them. I think I'm starting to understand how her Archive Link works._

Meredy joined the mental bond. _And you could probably do it faster if you let me handle more of the fighting. Tell him, Ultear-sensei!_

Ultear gritted her teeth, sighing explosively. _I know how you feel, Jellal – yes, she's a kid, but she's not_ just _a kid. She's older than you were when you saved her from Zancrow._ She felt Jellal's frustration even as Meredy rejoiced. _Look, if she gets in trouble, you can jump in. Besides, the island's still protecting us._ Ultear swallowed. _I think...I think that's the only reason Mom's still alive. Just do your brainy thing, okay? We've got lots of "I won't lose" types who run on sheer magic power. Even Levy and Freed don't understand these weird lacrima things. When it comes to the mad science stuff, you're all we've got._

_...fine._ Jellal frowned. _You stay in one piece too. We've lost contact with too many people as it is – Natsu!_ The star mage froze. _Mavis, now Natsu's down too...I think?_

_Keep calm,_ Ultear demanded. _We have to win this. Focus on Daphne. I'll see if I can find Wendy, okay?_ Jellal nodded. _Good man. We'll make them sorry they chose Fairy Tail as an enemy._


	92. Vol. 17, Ch. 7

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Mirajane

"It's still hard for me to use Satan Soul repeatedly," Mira explained. Lisanna bit her lip, shaking. "He hasn't broken through Jellal's Solid Seal yet. We shouldn't risk the camp if we don't have to."

"Oh?" Azuma sighed. "I suppose that makes sense from a strategic standpoint." He punched his hand. "Still, I would truly like to have a serious bout with the She-Demon Mirajane."

"You leave Mira-nee alone! Heaven Soul!" Lisanna threw her hands skyward, and light poured down around her. _Lisanna, wait!_  Mirajane thought, but her sister finished the spell before Mira could say a word. The Angel darted between Azuma and the trembling Mirajane. Unfortunately, Lisanna herself had used Heaven Soul all too recently, and she was faring little better than the Demon.

"Could someone tell me how his attacks are affecting us through the Seal?" Millianna blurted. "Jellal-nii said that shouldn't be possible."

Azuma shrugged. "You still need to breathe. Your brother made your Solid Seal air-permeable. My Bleve is simply powerful enough to send shockwaves through his filter." Mirajane gaped in disbelief at the plant wizard. _"Simply?" That's insane! Who could be that strong?_

A young woman with dark blonde hair, a rose eye patch, and a dress of dark green leaves, emerged from the ground. "Forgive me, Lord Azuma," the newcomer said, "but Starburst's Seal reaches beneath the earth as well as into the sky."

"Of course, Imitatia," Azuma said, shrugging. "We could expect nothing less from the brother of Siegrain." Mira struggled to her feet, baring her teeth at the invaders. "Still, I was hoping for a greater challenge." He pointed his hand at the camp, and vines wrapped around the entire Solid Seal in less than a minute. "Chain Burst."

The explosion rocked the camp, even through the Seal. Nevertheless, when the cloud dissipated, the Seal remained. "Impressive," Azuma nodded, a hint of a smile forming. "A pity Jellal has already been claimed. The only one I would have wished to fight more was their Gildarts. Still, this is not a battle. It is merely a chore. Tower Burst." Flames erupted around the Seal, which shuddered, cracked, and collapsed just as the Tower Burst died away. _Jellal!_ Mirajane sent in desperation. _The Seal is down–!_

"Reverse Kitten Blast!" Mira gasped as Millianna's tubes wrapped her in a cocoon. _What now? Has Daphne taken control of Milli again?_ Instead of the spell suppressing her magic, however, ethernano poured into Mirajane. It was as though she'd gotten a full night's sleep in a few moments. _What? How? Milli did say "reverse" blast..._ The restraints fell away, revealing Millianna collapsed onto the table. "You should be full of life now," Milli mewed, laboring for breath. "Go show him why you don't pick a fight with Fairy Tail."

Hints of tears misted Mirajane's eyes. "Thank you, Milli," she said, then chanted, "Take Over: _Satan Soul!"_

**Music Cue: Beautiful Demon Mirajane**

Azuma gasped, his smile spreading in sheer joy, as the might of the Demon filled the poster girl of Fairy Tail. "At last! Face me, She-Demon!"

"Lisanna!" Mirajane soared overhead. "Deal with the vine woman. I'll stop this Azuma!" Lisanna nodded and darted at Imitatia, while Mira flew straight at the Grimoire mage, gathering dark power in one hand. "Devil Blast!" she chanted, firing the beam at her foe.

Azuma flew back and into the air, riding the force of the blast. Wisps of smoke trailed from his sleeves. "Wonderful! Bleve!" The pinpoints of light appeared around her, and Mirajane curled up to absorb the explosions, glaring at the cloud that formed around her. With a grunt, she threw the remnants aside by uncurling with deadly force. Azuma awaited her near the tree canopy. "Magnificent. Such power! This is truly...a devil-god!"

"You'll wish that's all you faced when I'm done with you! Darkness Stream!" Mirajane roared, and a dozen shadow blasts shot towards her enemy.

Azuma stood there and let them hit him. _He's counter-attacking, but from where?_  Before she could search for the answer, it bound her from every direction, wrapping around her wrists, ankles, and tail. "Chain Burst!" Azuma snapped his fingers, and explosions rippled up the vines to throw her into the sky. Mira rode the attack as he had with hers, rolling in the air to minimize the damage, then caught herself with her wings and shot back down to throw a punch at his smirk. The Grimoire killer caught her blow, his smirk only growing. "You're strong..." he exulted.

_No time to play,_ Mirajane thought, flashes of light exploding around Lisanna and Imitatia. "So are you. _Soul Extinctor!"_ Her most powerful spell howled around Azuma, throwing him back into one of the larger trees. _Got you!_

When the spell faded, Azuma was still standing. His legs shook a bit, but a shield of roots collapsed around him having absorbed the worst of the blast. _Zen. He doesn't just draw on plant life, he wields life_ itself _– the power of the world incarnate. This fight's going to be harder than I thought._ He gestured down. "I knew you'd be strong! Burst Claw!" Vines shot up at Mirajane, and it took all her speed to avoid them. Then they turned into whirling blades of green light, following her further into the air.

"Dark Mirror!" the She-Demon chanted, and the blasts turned as she willed, flying back at their master. Azuma laughed as they returned to him, absorbed on impact. She flew straight at him, slashing with both claws. Azuma raised his arms in defense, as she expected. "Evil Spark!" The electricity burst through his body, making him spasm in her grip. "Trees shouldn't fight the lightning!"

"There's no point to easy battles. Tower Burst!" Flames engulfed Mirajane, burning with a heat that rivaled Natsu's most powerful attacks. The Demon within her recoiled at the spiritual might of the fire. _What's happening? How can a Dark Wizard wield such sacred light?_

Mira leaped from the spell, spinning to put out her smouldering wings. "You don't have to be part of a Dark Guild to face wizards who can challenge you," she called, sliding away from him as she landed.

"My very existence is forbidden," Azuma explained, striding towards her through his own flames. Though they did not part for him, the mage was not even singed when he emerged. "In the Grand Magic World, there will be no Council, no restrictions – no more _lies._ Only the truths of power and knowledge will remain, a glorious world where magic is supreme. The world itself will birth challenges at every turn, and she will swallow up all who would despoil her! _Ramus Sica!"_ A storm of spikes tore at Mirajane, and only her demon form kept her alive in the onslaught.

_How many tricks does this villain have at his fingertips?_ Mirajane wondered. _This battle – it's hard not to enjoy it as much as he does. Have I ever fought an opponent like him?_ She cupped her hands together, pushing aside the memory of the Beast King. "Evil Explosion!"

Again, the branches rose to defend him, but this time, Mirajane's attack smashed through Azuma's defense, pushing him back and leaving him singed. "Glorious! _Glorious!_ Never have I faced an enemy like you!" he laughed. "You honored me with your greatest spells – I owe you the same respect." He pointed his palm at the She-Demon, and a forest's worth of vines erupted to ensnare her. "I call on the invincible power that rests in this sacred land!" He clapped his hands together, and Mira felt the incredible might he spoke of. _Mavis, help me!_  she prayed. "Terra Clamare!"

The explosion flung Mirajane through the air like a rag doll. Lisanna screamed. Tents tore from the earth, Millianna clinging to the ground with her claws. When the She-Demon landed, she was barely able to pull her head up, vision blurred. Azuma's smile had reached Natsu-like proportions, and he panted to catch his breath. _He's...weak, but I'm..._ her eyes fluttered, and nearly closed.

_NO!_ With a burst of defiant force, Mirajane slammed her wings down, forcing herself to her feet. "I will not be beaten by you, lost one!" Azuma gasped, his mouth falling open, but the smile did not diminish in the least. With all her remaining power, she gathered her mightiest spell one more time, holding her hands one over the other, and gathered the darkness with her love for her family. "Here is the honor you sought! _SOUL EXTINCTOR!"_

"I faced this spell once before–" Azuma began. The rest of his reply was lost in a storm of unrelenting, unstoppable power. Mira tore at his flesh, at his bond to the world, at his very magic. With a cry, he threw up every barrier his spells could summon. Soul Extinctor consumed them all. Tenrou's magic, the guild's magic, filled her spell and drove her power.

"Excellent," he whispered, then slammed into the tangle of thorned branches that was the remains of Imitatia's magic. Lisanna cradled the young woman in her arms, Imitatia's single blue eye staring at the heavens, though she still breathed. "Thank you...for sparing...my student." Azuma slumped to the ground, his flesh slowly turning green.

"No," Lisanna gasped. "Heavenly Mirror!" She reached out to Azuma, golden light radiating from her hand, and the power that sought to claim him for the earth receded.

Azuma blinked, otherwise unmoving. "Why?" he breathed.

Mira flew over to him, released Satan Soul, and smiled at him. "I think there's more than anger to you," she said. "The last time I had a fight like this, it was with someone more lost than you. He's one of Fairy Tail's finest wizards now. Just as he was when I first met him." Mirajane took his hand. "Maybe you've been fighting against things for so long, you've forgotten how to fight for something?"

"Fight...for something..." Azuma whispered. With that, he blacked out.

Millianna staggered over, pouted at the life mage, and wrapped him shoulders to ankles in kitten tubes. "Sure, but better safe than sorry. Nyan!" She stuck her tongue out at Azuma.

Mirajane laughed and hugged Milli. "Thank you," she gushed. "I don't know what I would've done without your help." Milli mewed under her breath, twiddling her fingers, while Lisanna joined in Mira's good humor.


	93. Vol. 17, Ch. 8

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Kagura

"Okay." Simon labored to breathe. "Wendy healed Natsu per the Master's orders. All the other wounded are at the camp. Jellal rebuilt the Solid Seal. Most of the others are in the middle of their own fights." He scanned the shore line, where their Crime Sorciere reinforcements were fighting off a horde of Lizard Men led by Zalty drones. "Daphne. We need to do something about her," he muttered.

"You are in no condition to engage her, nii-san," Kagura noted, jaw set. "You have already over-exerted yourself transporting injured, all after engaging in the trials." A hungry viper of worry coiled in her belly.

"We're a team, Kagura," Simon replied, favoring her with a faint smile. "Together, we'll overcome anything a Dark Guild can throw at us."

A storm erupted around them. "A bold claim," a cloaked figure drawled, flying up to face them. His face wasn't visible at first, but the enormous scythe resting on the man's shoulders and the vast Wind Magic at his command made his identity obvious. _Erigor,_ Kagura realized, _the former leader of Eisenwald. To Grimoire Heart, however, he must be little more than a foot soldier._ She placed her hand on Defender's hilt, readying her magic.

The first she knew that something was wrong was when Erigor lifted his head just enough to grin at her. "Storm Lightning," he whispered, and a blast from the clouds above came right for her blade. Kagura managed to keep herself from screaming, but the force paralyzed her, tearing to her body's very core. Simon cried out and leaped to her, his shadows carrying them both from the assault. "Do not mistake me for the fool who lost to a brainless boy. I am the storm made flesh, the Grim Reaper of Nature Herself."

Kagura twitched in Simon's grip, Erigor's attack lingering in her body and magic. When they emerged at the base of the great tree, Simon looked in her eyes with as much analysis as concern. "Kagura. Speak to me."

All Kagura could do was grunt with effort. Simon placed his fingers to his temple, and their minds met. _Nii-san, I can't move. His power...it's far beyond what Erza-nee described._

Simon nodded. _If you can move again, let me know, but stay here regardless. I'll lure Erigor to you, and we'll hit him as one._

_But what if I don't recover soon enough?_ Kagura commanded her body to rise, but it would not obey. _You'll be facing that monster alone!_

Strong arms enveloped the gravity wizard. _Master Makarov didn't let me join the S-Class trials for nothing. Trust me, imoto._ With that, he descended into the shadows again. Kagura felt him fly through them, watching from every patch of darkness.

Erigor didn't make himself difficult to find. He descended in a column of swirling wind, any cover from the cloud wisps around him negated by the small arcs of lightning that crackled from them. "This is pointless, shadow mage," the Reaper insisted, hefting his weapon with both hands. "Your little sister is the real power in your family. Her gravity magic and incredible swordplay are formidable. Alas, her magic relies on a lightning rod, and Master Daphne prepared us for you all." Tornado whips lashed out, forcing aside the underbrush. "You cannot hide from the storm!"

"All storms," Simon replied from the darkness, "leave shadows." Erigor shot lightning at the source of the words, but struck only emptiness. "My sister is a greater wizard than I, it's true." Kagura spasmed. _No, I'm not,_ she complained, but her brother ignored her. "Yet for all your bluster, you have forgotten why power isn't everything. We combine our strengths, cover our weaknesses, and most importantly – we're a team!" Kagura thought she saw herself emerging from a shadow, and Erigor unleashed a whirlwind at the figure. It was merely one of Simon's darkness puppets, though, and her brother emerged from the shadows cast by Erigor's own clouds to punch him in the ribs. The Reaper turned his scythe on Simon, but the Fairy Tail wizard was already gone.

"A clever trick, but your sister is helpless. I will be enough!" Erigor snarled, slashing at the air with his blade. The storm roared out from the Reaper in every direction, crashing across the island. Kagura felt herself pulled into the darkness for a moment, returned to the physical world once the storm abated. "You can't hide from me forever, boy. In Eisenwald, my right hand was a shadow wizard. I know your weakness too." The lightning played with greater violence around the storm mage, arcs crackling around his eyes. "It won't take me long to deprive you of the darkness."

"Knuckle Shadow!" Simon chanted, and more fists than Kagura could track erupted from the shadows flickering on Erigor's robes. "Too long, Grimoire – oh, Mavis," he said with sudden frustration, diving into the dark once more. _Kagura. He's being controlled. How are you?_

Kagura fought her paralysis again, and her fingers twitched on her hilt. _Recovering, but slowly,_ she admitted. _Maybe someone can free me from this?_

_Soon, I hope,_ Simon replied, eyes fixed on Erigor's cloak. _For now, I don't dare turn my back on this Reaper._ He reached through the darkness and yanked Erigor's hood away. The scythe nearly took off a few fingers, but her brother escaped unscathed. For just an instant, Kagura could see it: a blood-red lacrima glinting on the Reaper's neck where spine met skull. Then Simon's foe spun, and she could see only the fury in his eyes. "Simon! Your magic is appropriate beyond words, always in the shadow of others. You're a poor man's Starburst, leaning on your sister's might, taking second-best when you couldn't have Titania–" Simon's fist lashed out from darkness on the scythe's shaft, punching Erigor in the face. The Reaper laughed. "Ultear should have been ours, weakling. Soon, she _will_ be our–"

Erigor froze, then screamed, thrashing in the air. Simon emerged by Kagura's side, his fingers bleeding from where they held a blood red crystal. "Zen, this thing is sharp," he complained, grinning, while Erigor tumbled to the earth. His scythe landed in the ground beside him point first. Simon dropped it into one of his shadows. "Erigor. Are you free?"

The storm wizard's demeanor was utterly transformed. He pounded the dirt, teeth gritted, eyes brimming with tears, body shaking with unmistakable fury. "They...used me, _betrayed_ me..." he looked up. "Why didn't you kill me?"

"I still might," Simon lied, his shadows claiming Erigor's scythe. _Gods, Simon, you're almost as bad at that as Jellal-nii._ For the first time, Kagura was glad she was still paralyzed, as it kept her from slapping her forehead. "Whose side are you on, now?"

Erigor slumped to the ground. "When you took out the lacrima, Daphne stole my ethernano. I can't help you."

Simon walked over and crouched beside the former guild master. "Yes, you can. Free my sister. Tell us why they're here. You don't have to fight to join us. You never did."

The storm mage gaped, meeting Simon's gaze with wide eyes. "You'd...still..." he shook his head with sudden denial. "No. I have no right to call myself a Fairy Tail wizard. I'll help you, though." His smile was twisted and wry. "Even if your threat was as empty as Daphne's promises." Simon deflated while Erigor reached out, fingers grasping at the air. A bolt of lightning shot from Kagura's body, and she leaped to her feet, mobile once more. "Master Hades thinks that the Dark Wizard Zeref is on Tenrou Island."

Kagura gasped, glaring at the wind wizard, while Simon recoiled, the choking noise he made painful to hear. "Impossible," she insisted, hand still on Defender. "Zeref must be centuries dead."

"Hey, I didn't say he _is_ here," Erigor retorted, rising with slow effort, "I just said Hades believes it. Although, Hades is almost two centuries old himself. Age itself wouldn't stop the most powerful dark wizard of all time."

Simon and Kagura looked at each other, then he put his fingers to his brow. _Teams, check in?_

Natsu howled, tossed aside by an attack from Daphne. Lucy froze in mid-report, horrified by the state Natsu was in, but Kagura sensed enough to know that Leo had defeated and rescued the spirit Capricorn from a wizard who'd been controlling him. Erza and Juvia were engaged with the owl-man who'd worked for Siegrain, and a girl Kagura's age – with power to match. Gray was rushing to their side, racing the Make-magic monster who'd rolled over Elfman and Evergreen. _At least Simon was able to teleport them back to the camp,_ Kagura thought, but sensed a ripple in gravity. "Nii-san, the Maker-mage, Rustyrose, he changed direction. He's headed towards us–"

"Sacred Guardian Beast: Belfast the Hurricane!" Rustyrose chanted, laughing. Erigor threw what storm magic he had left at the villain, but a single beat of the Hurricane's wing overwhelmed the last of the former Reaper's power. One second later, Simon and Kagura were fighting for their lives – again.


	94. Vol. 17, Ch. 9

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Cana

Ultear snarled as her Crash magic destroyed another batch of Lizard Men. Lucy and Cana took out another squad of foot soldier cultists, Cana with a Full House Flash, Lucy summoning Virgo to blast them. All three breathed heavily from the effort. _Thank you, Shou._

"Damn," Ultear cursed, "these small fry are wearing us down. That almost feels like respect for an enemy." Lucy blinked at Ur's daughter, the space mage's snarl leaving the summoner shaking as she stared. Cana sympathized. _What happened to my sister? I've never seen Ultear so angry, not even when we fought the Oracion Seis._

Natsu screamed and landed in a heap between the other three wizards, struggling to rise. "Natsu!" Lucy and Cana cried in one voice. Lucy rushed to Natsu's side, helping him stand. Cana hissed at the approaching Daphne, her dragon-form hardly even singed. "Natsu, come on, get up!" Lucy pleaded. Natsu obliged, but his legs were shaking.

"Strength! Queen of Swords! Knight of Coins! Fierce Shield!" Cana chanted, and her cards swirled to protect them. "You want to take all of us on, you phony dragon? Come and get it."

"I suppose all of you might be too much, yes yes," Daphne admitted. She pulled at the air with two fingers. A whistling sound echoed from the distance, growing closer with air-churning speed.

"OOO-WEY!" Kain Hikaru wailed, landing on his face beside the mad genius. He leaped to his feet with astonishing speed and grace, holding up his hands like some insane mime. "D-did you summon me, Daphne-san?"

"No," Daphne sighed, "you were thrown here by a complete fluke of magic."

The pale giant blinked. "Ooo-wey, how lucky for us then!" Kain cheered, clapping. Everyone else face-faulted except Natsu, who just grinned and punched his palm. _Oh, for..._

"I was being sarcastic, you obese lummox!" Daphne screamed. Kain wept short rivers of tears. "Of course I summoned you. Smash the pink-haired brat and his blonde harem girl." Lucy gaped in horror, eyes round with shock. Natsu blinked. "I'll deal with the Crash Sisters, yes!"

Ultear smiled, cold and sharp. "Sounds good to me. Natsu, Lucy, Happy! Beat that pale monster without fail, you hear me?"

"Aye sir!" Natsu cheered.

"Someone remembered me!" Happy cried, punching the air.

"Wait, shouldn't we fight them together?" Lucy begged, leaping away from Hikaru.

Daphne laughed, spreading her wings with an air-churning flourish. "As if I would make it so easy for you. I've already taken Zeref!" All five Fairy Tail wizards stared in horror. "Catch me if you can, yes, yes!" She flew off in a burst of magical might.

Cana pulled her cards back with a gesture. "Six of Swords! Chariot! Three of Wands!" Her deck flew out, forming a small flying boat. "Fate Rider! All decks on hand!" She leaped on, Ultear following with a groan at the pun, and Cana sent her deck chasing after the madwoman.

"You realize she's leading us into a trap, right?" Ultear noted, Lucy wailing as she disappeared in the distance.

Cana shrugged. "What choice do we have? Simon's update said Natsu lost to her, _after_ she'd already knocked out the guy they think is Zeref." She glared at the cackling wizard, Fate Rider barely keeping up. "Besides, the maybe-Zeref-guy seemed awfully not-evil for the most infamous dark mage ever. I think we have to rescue him."

"Thank you," the same voice from the tombstone whispered. Cana looked around, stunned. _Is that...First Master Mavis?_ she wondered.

Ultear shook her head, smiling. "This guild. Sometimes I wonder how Jellal and I ended up with this bunch of lunatics."

Cana grinned back. "You love us, 'Tear, and you know it."

"...yes. Yes, I do." Ultear held up her fist. "Enough of this chase. It's time for me to try my hand at dragon slaying. Arc Crash–"

"No, no," Daphne mocked, and four Zaltys rushed them from every side, "you're not ready to face me yet." She laughed again, vanishing into the woods, as the high-end drones left them fighting for their lives yet again.


	95. Vol. 17, Ch. 10

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Erza

Fukuro spat Titania's Blumenblatt back at her, and it took all Erza's power to reclaim control over her blades. "What is this creature?" Erza wondered.

"Juvia is not sure," the water mage replied, "but I am more concerned about the child. Something is wrong with her."

"You will be eliminated," the girl insisted, black spheres once more forming around her hands. "All Fairy Tail wizards are to be erased from this territory. Mission parameters are clear."

"Minerva! Destroy them for great justice!" With that, Fukuro shot at Juvia fists-first, hooting a bizarre battle cry.

"Ice Bringer!" Gray leaped at the owl-man, knocking him out of the air. Fukuro tumbled back, using his jet pack to right himself. "Erza, Juvia, are you all right?"

"We're fine, Gray," Erza replied, glaring at her old friend, "surely there are others who need your help more." Juvia squealed with pure joy at the sight of the ice wizard.

"You don't understand," Gray replied, spiraling walls of ice lashing out to protect them. "They have reinforcements coming too. Some kind of Maker wizard, but his powers don't seem to have limits!"

"No limits?" a newcomer asked, dragging Simon with one hand and Kagura with the other. Gray and Juvia gasped as one, saving Erza from doing the same. "Hardly. Even I am restrained by the thorns that guard the poisoned rose." He adjusted thin sunglasses that glinted in the fading light. "Yet my power is enough that I have never been defeated!" He laughed, tossing aside the beaten wizards. Juvia caught them with the ankle-deep water, carrying them to shelter behind a wide tree. "You now dance with Rustyrose, the wizard of the invincible tower, within which he keeps his shattered heart. Your Beast King and his fairy princess, the lord of shadows and his samurai sister, all have fallen before me. I have yet to even be challenged."

"Then I will challenge you!" Erza roared, pointing her blade at his pompadour, equal in size to Wakaba's. "Come at me, and I will defeat you in the name of Fairy Tail!"

"Erza!" Gray blurted.

"You have greater problems, despoiler of justice," Fukuro retorted, racing for Juvia, "for I am thirsty! Justice Hooo – OOF!" Gray slammed fist to palm, smashing a column of ice into the assassin's gut.

"Oh! Has Gray-sama come to fight for Juvia?!" The water mage clasped her hands, eyes pulsing like twin hearts. Erza couldn't help a smile. _As long as she turns that passion into magic, those two will not lose._

"I-It's not like that!" Gray blurted, then looked away with a snort. "Not...exactly...I just fought that guy in the Tower..." Juvia's heart-eyes doubled in size, pounding more wildly than ever. _As much as I would like to ship them right now, we have more important challenges to face._

"Gray, Juvia, I leave the owl villain and the innocent child to you." Erza flew at the newcomer, Requipping into her Black Wing Armor. "Rustyrose! I am your opponent."

The silver-haired mage laughed. "Sacred Guardian Beast: Belcusas the Thunderclap!" he chanted, and a massive demonic creature appeared between them. _Its thighs are open, however, and that gives me a chance!_ Erza leaped at it, dodging a massive overhand fist, and plunging her sword between the metal beams that connected hip to knee. She spun, twisting the monster around and throwing it to earth. When she flew back, however, the metal was scored only a fraction. _What is this creature?_

"The beauty of the living scythe cannot withstand my devil-thunder. What exquisite sorrow," Rustyrose sighed, fingers resting on his forehead. Then he straightened, looking away. "Azuma? For shame," he admonished, shaking his head. "Alas, it seems I must depart, beautiful queen of the garden. Hurricane, come!" he commanded, and a massive wyvern with a demon's face flew to Rustyrose. The strange wizard leaped onto the creature and pointed toward the center of the island. "Now! Let us now sing the coda of this tragic tale, for the shards of my heart feel nothing in this symphony."

"Halt, madman!" Erza shouted, flying at Rustyrose, but Belcusas leaped to its feet, swinging at her. _Gods. I cannot leave this thing here while Gray and Juvia struggle against their own opponents._ She darted around the monster, each blow leaving a slightly deeper cut than the one before, but even the Black Wing's might could not seriously harm the Thunderclap. "Requip!" Erza called on her Purgatory Armor once more, leaping and smashing into its chest with Perdition.

Belcusas bellowed and staggered back, but remained intact enough to backhand her through several trees. _Unh. Its strength is impressive._ Fortunately, the beast charged at her, ignoring Gray and Juvia in favor of the target it had been assigned. _This must be one of Rustyrose's limits. His dynamic creations lack true intelligence, and can only follow directions._ She Requipped back to her Black Wing Armor, noting the gash in its chest. _Not as deep as I would like, but Perdition broke through its armor._ She raised her sword and flew just out of its range. "Come for me, creature!" she commanded, then flew after Rustyrose at full speed. Her wings and blade left gashes in the trees she passed, leaving a clear trail for even the lummox following her.

Darting up when she reached the outermost roots of the Tenrou Tree, Erza gasped at the sight of Rustyrose summoning great spinning blades to hack at the sacred pillar. _No! I must end my fight with Belcusas immediately._ Diving, she hit her maximum speed just as she leveled off, and her opponent smashed its way into the clearing. That was when she stabbed right at the heart of the monster.

While Belcusas lacked a literal heart, the mass of false muscle and sinew all relied on principles similar to a human body. When Erza burst through its chest, exploding out the other side, Belcusas collapsed, roaring as it exploded around her. _Ow. Ignore it ignore it ignore it._ Her foe backpedaled. "I-Impossible! I imagined Belcusas to be invulnerable!" Rustyrose stammered.

"Then you never imagined Perdition! Requip!" Erza switched to her workhorse Heaven's Wheel Armor. "Blumenblatt!" The storm of blades shot at Rustyrose in a rain of steel.

A shining tower shield appeared on Rustyrose's left arm. "That which dwells in my left hand is a golden shield that drives back everything," he chanted, eyes widening behind his glasses. "My right arm cuts through all with the edge of darkness – Jet Black Sword!" His arm became a metal claw that shot out at Titania.

"Requip!" Erza swapped to her Giant Armor, catching the claw with her larger gauntlet. She then threw De-Malevo at the Grimoire mage. "Yield, villain!"

"Pegasus Wings!" Rustyrose flew up and out of her lance's path, the explosion from its wrath barely singing his shoes. "You are...truly powerful," he breathed. "If you were to join us, you would be a queen of more than this fairy Eden. The Grand Magic World would surely welcome the divine Titania and her star god lover."

_Mavis, does_ everyone _know about that?_  Erza wondered, blushing. "Jellal would never betray Fairy Tail like that, and neither would I! Requip!" She swapped in her Morning Star Armor and flew above the strange Maker mage. "Photon Slicer!" Rustyrose spun in the air, deflecting the attack with his shield. The flash of her magic against the reflective surface flared brighter than anything sunglasses could mitigate, while Erza's armor protected her from her own magic.

"Ahh! Grim Constrictor!" As his claw-arm vanished, metal vines covered in fishhook-like thorns lashed out for Titania. Though they were incredibly resilient, thorns tearing at her with her every movement, Erza managed to slice through them by flying down at full speed in a corkscrew spin, filling her twin swords with the light of her armor's magic. When she landed, Erza watched her opponent closely, eyes narrowing. _I am superior in direct combat, but his magic takes only a fraction of his personal reserves. Even Knightwalker's weapons were not like this. Rustyrose seems to command the very ether itself._ She grimaced. _I must end this quickly, before –_

Belfast the Hurricane shot toward Erza, a whirlwind forming in its wake. Titania managed to avoid its howling bite attack, but the windstorm buffeted her through the roots of Tenrou. "Requip!" she commanded, her Adamantine Armor protecting her from its power.

Rustyrose laughed. "Too slow, fairy queen! _Tower of Dingir!"_  A massive column of iron and stone erupted from beneath Erza, capturing her and hammering her into the sky. _Grim!_ Erza struggled, but she was caught almost up to her shoulders. Between the creation's immense strength and her lack of leverage, even Titania could not budge. _Maybe if I Requip into something smaller –_

Dingir began to glow. _– too late! I must have faith in my armor and magic now!_ She concentrated all her power into her Adamantine Barrier. The tower exploded, and Erza screamed as she flew through the sky. Roots tore from the earth, and the Tenrou Tree groaned as it shook. Again, Rustyrose laughed. _I am...really tired...of that sound,_ Erza decided, forcing herself upright. Seeing her stand stopped his laughter, but her foe still smiled. "Amazing. You are truly worthy to be called a queen of the fairies. Alas, the champions of the devil's tome will consume even you." He pointed at the Tenrou Tree. "My Arc of Embodiment can summon anything my heart can imagine. Even your armor is limited. My poetry is not."

"Untrue!" Erza Requipped into her Clear Heart gi, pointing one of her Demon Blades at Rustyrose. "One! You cannot create true life, only mockeries of metal and stone. Two! You cannot create true thought, only automata that you must direct or command. Three! You cannot create without limit, or it would be your armies that storm our island rather than Daphne's." She slid into Cherry Blossom Form, ready to unleash her full might.

Rustyrose bowed. "All correct, dancer of the fairy blades, but I spoke not of my magic, but of my _creativity._ Through imagination, I surpass all limitations. Indeed, those limitations inspire me all the more!" He pressed one hand to his chest. "These fragments reflect and gleam in the desolation of my soul, the price my wizardry demands to grant me such glory."

Erza stared in horror. "You sacrificed your heart for this magic? No power is worth that!"

"Alas, I knew not the price I would pay when I sought this poetry of magic," he explained, shaking his head. "Yet this doom of my light set free my darkness, and now my roses bloom all the more passionately for the terrible thorns that pierce my spirit in payment." Erza shook her head. _How tragic. He would make a good friend to Laki if his heart was true._ Once more, he laughed. "Now that doom comes for you, as your river of light dims in the shadow of my victory. Devil Assassin: Kane the Merciless!"

Erza leaped back, truly worried for the first time in the battle, as the villain of Jellal's beloved Flash Rogers manga sprang to life before her. A sword in one hand, a magic ray pistol in the other, and a jet pack strapped to his back, he grinned at her as though pulled straight out of a drawing (albeit a black-and-white one thanks to the Arc mage's limits). Rustyrose leaped onto Belfast once more, and Kane flew at Erza sword-first.

Erza parried, but the force of Kane's jets knocked her aside, and she was forced into a cartwheel dodge by the flare of his pistol's shock ray. _This is not truly Kane the Merciless,_  Erza reminded herself, sliding into a defensive posture as the replica circled for another attack. _He is not bantering or blustering, and he hasn't made a single lewd comment about a female opponent. Rustyrose is harrying me with this thing._  With a grim glare, Erza watched her foe charging again. This time, "Kane" strafed the ground as he approached, forcing Titania on the defensive. Fortunately, the spiral pivot he used to attack was one she'd seen a dozen times reading the manga over Jellal's shoulder. Though his beam glanced off her ribs, Erza's counterstroke removed his head and sword-arm, and the remains of her assailant exploded against a nearby tree.

Belfast the Hurricane landed on Erza, its talon crushing her to earth and the beat of its wings stealing her breath. Above them, sunset painted the sky the color of her hair. Rustyrose laughed yet _again._ "This is the end, Titania! When you fall, so does your precious Tenrou Tree, and with it, any hope for the guild you protect!"

_I must...find the strength..._ Erza took a deep breath and dug into every last Edeas of magic she possessed. "REQUIP!"

Scarlet light flared around her. The mere force of her summoning threw master and beast off her body. Lacrima systems replaced her empty reserves, but something else filled her with the power to stand. "Wh-what is this? Has a scarlet rose blossomed in a barren field?"

"You were right about one thing, Rustyrose – this _is_ the end! _Armadura Fairy!"_ Scarlet armor with decorative sapphire wings adorned Erza, shielding her from the Hurricane. Twin blades bearing the power of the stars blazed with their light.

"F-fear only inspires me! Ghosts of Brittia!" A horde of shadow skulls rushed at Titania, swirling to envelop her.

_"Fairy Burst!"_ A column of starlight and raw force erupted from Erza's swords, shattering the miasma, smashing the pseudo-wyvern to shards, piercing the Golden Shield, and throwing Rustyrose across the sky. He landed at the base of the Tenrou Tree, twitching and gasping. His Ghosts exploded, and Erza's armor flickered and vanished, even its lacrima reserves expended. Titania was left in her in civilian garb, and she fell to one knee, panting. _Well. I must report our design's success to Jellal._

"My fragments..." Rustyrose began to cry, while his sunglasses crumbled to dust. "...I can feel...this love...this family..." He curled up on himself, whimpering.

_The poor fool. Perhaps Fairy Tail can help him._ Drawing on what strength she had left, Erza forced herself back to her feet, strode to Rustyrose, and offered him her hand. "Feelings are what give us true strength. This fall can be where you rise again."

"No..." Erza gasped as she realized she could see the Tenrou Tree _through_ the Grimoire wizard. "...it's too late. This was my taboo. The Arc of Embodiment's muse is a cruel yandere, who takes the lives of her artists when they feel for any other than she." He smiled as his body flickered like a candle in a storm. "Thank you...for setting me free..."

Then he was gone.

"Rustyrose!" Erza shouted, grasping for him as though she could pull him back from oblivion through sheer strength. Her hand reached only sacred bark. Again, she fell to one knee, letting her forehead rest against the great tree.

"Be judged by the Seven Stars: Grand Chariot!" Golden power crashed down from the heavens. _What? Why would Jellal –_

Too late, Erza recognized the fraction of difference in the voice, the hint of a rumble, the twist to his tone. _Siegrain,_  she realized, and then she was thrown aside, a leaf in the storm. Grand Chariot struck every cut Rustyrose's blades had made, and the Tenrou Tree cracked at its base.

A hand with a titan's strength gripped her throat, and a mockery of the face she loved most leered at her with a hate she'd thought cured. "Hello, Erza," Siegrain whispered, hauling her into the air. She kicked the air in futile desperation, powerless against Meteor with all her magic spent. "It's so good to see you again..."


	96. Vol. 17, Ch. 11

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Juvia

"Uncategorized target: Juvia Lockser," Minerva reported, sliding through the air, her hands consumed by swirling dark orbs. "Primary neutralization focus: elemental form, water. Territory."

"Water Lock!" Juvia chanted, and for an instant, the fluid sphere took form around the young woman. Then the world went dark, and Juvia was flying through the air, screaming with agony she had never known. When the former Phantom mage hit the shallow pond around them, she was flesh and blood, unable to breathe the water she was face down in. With a desperate splutter, Juvia leaped upright, spitting out the brackish fluid. _What happened? Juvia has been a water woman for as long as she can remember!_

Light returned to the world, the single dark sphere returning to the pair over Minerva's hands. "Neutralization achieved, Lord Fukuro. You may consume her when ready."

"Consume?!" Juvia gaped at the circling owl-man, picturing him carrying her off in his arms – while he was wearing a tuxedo, and of course they were surrounded by pale pink mist as Juvia kicked in delicate distress. Gray-sama charged to her rescue, sheathed in his gleaming Devil Slayer skin. Juvia slapped her cheeks and shook her head. _No. I mustn't picture a rescue, not when Gray-sama needs me!_ She focused, and the water around her obeyed her will. "You cannot have Juvia, mocker of justice! Juvia belongs to Gray-sama!"

Gray sighed, but to Juvia's surprise, Fukuro's reaction was the one with passion, as he turned on her with fierce eyes and a beaky grimace. "How dare you defy the power of my justice!" He reached out with both hands, eyes glowing with pale blue light. Gray's arms suddenly flew out to either side, even his fingers stretched to their limits. "I have not forgotten you-hoo, ice boy. After my defeat, I studied hoo, and I know your weakness – the stance your master taught hoo!"

"The Grim?" Gray hissed, fighting Fukuro's magic. Juvia threw her Water Slicer at the owl mage, but Minerva turned them back towards the swamp around them. "Who did you eat now?"

Fukuro laughed. "Foo-hoo-l! Master Daphne fed me a crystal with some of Lord Siegrain's powers. I simply waited for you to be vulnerable! And now, your power will serve justice!" He pulled Gray toward him, beak distending to an impossible degree. Frost swirled around Gray, but without the ability to move – _even Gray-sama can’t escape that assassin!_ Juvia quailed. "Capture Hooooot!"

"No! _Gray-sama!"_ Juvia raced towards the insane mage, water swirling around them all. Minerva cast her sphere around them all again, and Juvia concentrated all the waters in the area around her body. Holding her breath, she flattened herself under the shallow water and turned the entire column of liquid on Fukuro. _Please work,_ she prayed, pouring all her might into the blast.

"Ice Devil Ra– Juvia, what are you doing?!" Gray blurted.

"Ho-ho-hoooo! You have fallen right into my trap! I can see even in this darkness, water girl!" He levitated the still-struggling Gray above him and swallowed the water streaming towards him...except Juvia wasn't in it. _Juvia knows owls can see in the dark,_ she thought, _but Juvia's water distorted her presence!_

Which meant that Fukuro swallowed nothing but a swamp's worth of water.

The darkness vanished. Fukuro wobbled, his belly as distended as that of a woman about to give birth, and he sloshed as he staggered. He lost control of his telekinesis, eyes swirling, and Gray dropped to his feet. "JUVIA!" Gray screamed. "Ice Devil RAGE!" With a roar the equal to anything Natsu had ever unleashed, he struck Fukuro with the power to freeze rivers solid. While Fukuro was still filled with water.

The owl-faced killer whimpered, his round belly transformed into a frosty cube. Fukuro fell over, eyes swirling. Minerva blinked. "Target rank six: Gray Fullbuster, Devil Slayer," she reported.

"Six?!" Juvia blurted, leaping to her feet. "Gray-sama is never less than number one!"

Gray whirled to stare at the water mage. "Juvia?" he gasped. Then he chuckled, shaking his head. "I should've known better than to worry about you."

Juvia's lip trembled, and the pink clouds returned. "Gray-sama..." the forest started to fade away, a ring of flowers surrounding Juvia and her love. "...was worried..." She clasped her hands, imagining Gray-sama rushing to her side – wait, Gray _was_ rushing to her side! "...about Juvia? Juvin!" She held out her arms, heart bursting with overwhelming joy that pulsed right through her smile.

Gray tackled her and bore her back to earth, covering her with his half-naked body. Juvia turned bright red in an instant. "G-Gray-sama!" she breathed, arms flailing around him. "Juvia is overjoyed, but–"

A dark sphere erupted above them, rippling with power that made all Fukuro's might seem like a foot soldier's. Juvia's blush remained, albeit for utterly different reasons. "Juvia is sorry, Gray-sama..."

"Don't apologize, _fight._ We've got a kid to rescue from that psycho Daphne!" Gray-sama leaped to his feet again, fist slamming onto his palm. "That thing you did to Fukuro was clever, so get smart with Minerva!"

Naturally, Juvia froze. _Oh, no! Juvia can't think of anything now!_ The pink clouds vanished, swallowed up by endless gloom. _"Your mission has failed," Minerva reported, floating away while Juvia reached up from where she kneeled in utter humiliation. Gray glared down at her, hands in his pockets as he turned and walked away. "Abandoning a helpless child. You and I are finished."_

Gray pulled her out of the way of another attack. "Oh, for...Ice-Make: Igloo!" A dome of ice blocks formed around them as another sphere erupted where they'd been standing. "Juvia. Listen," he demanded, and the nightmare vision burst away, replaced by reality. "I don't think she can hear us in here, so I'm taking a chance. Form a thread of water and hit Minvera's control lacrima with it. Daphne puts them right here." He tapped Juvia on the back of her neck, right below the base of her skull. "I'll do the rest. Got it?" Juvia nodded, gulping. Gray nodded back. "Good. Let's move." He chopped at the air, and his igloo vanished. "Ice Devil Zero Flesh!" he chanted, and his body became a shining sculpture of winged perfection. _No, can't stare, Daphne victim to rescue,_ Juvia reminded herself, dashing away from her Gray-sama.

"Water Slicer!" Juvia chanted, the blades of liquid flashing at Minerva. The Territory Mage parried them all with one darkness-shielded fist. _Zen, Minerva is impressive,_ Juvia thought, directing the thread of water as Gray had ordered. _Juvia is glad that Gray-sama has a plan!_

"Zero Touch," Gray chanted, fingers brushing against the remains of the swamp left after Juvia's attacks had fallen back to earth. As one, they all froze – right up the thread Juvia had created. Minerva froze, and another dark sphere formed on the back of her neck. "No you don't, Daphne," Gray snarled, and Juvia shuddered when the whole copse frosted over.

Something denser than ice shattered, and Minerva screamed. Clutching her head, she fell to her knees, eyes wide as she stared at the sky and wept, still screaming. Juvia rushed to the young lady, holding Minerva in her arms. Gray ran to them, but stopped an arm's length away. "It is all right, miss," Juvia reassured her, rocking Minerva the way the nicer orphanage ladies used to do with her. The former Grimoire mage's wail faded into choked weeping. "You are free."

"They...they made me hurt people..." Minerva sobbed, clutching at Juvia's dress. "They made me hurt you...I'm suh–sorry...I'm _so sorry..."_

"It wasn't you," Gray insisted, arms crossed. "Daphne did that to me, too. I know what it's like. That thing was not you." Juvia hid her smile in Minerva's shoulder. _Gray-sama is so warm._

Ultear and Cana appeared from a gate that ripped through the world. "Gray? Gods, what's going on?" Ultear asked, looking around until she found Minerva still in Juvia's arms. Cana grinned as she shivered.

"Another Daphne special," Gray explained, waving at the remains of the blood-red lacrima. "What are you doing here?"

"Daphne got away from us. Then I saw you freeze half a forest." Ultear knelt beside Juvia and the fellow space wizard. "It's okay now, honey. I can take you home–"

"No!" Minerva gasped, clutching Juvia more tightly. "No, _please,_ anything but that–"

"Whoa, whoa, you don't have to go anywhere you don't want to," Cana jumped in, glaring at Ultear and gesturing for her to speak up. The effect was tarnished a fraction by her chattering teeth.

"Of course not," Ultear agreed with a nod. "Is there someone at home that we might have to protect you from? We can do that."

Minerva shuddered. "It's okay now, Minerva-san," Juvia encouraged, carefully pulling the slender mage to her feet. "Fairy Tail is a home for people who do not have them."

"O-okay." Minerva nodded. "My father. Jiemma Orlando." She swallowed. "He sent me to the Bureau of Magical Development. Daphne was in charge."

Juvia gasped. Gray and Cana paled, but they had nothing on the death-white Ultear. "what?" Ultear whispered, trembling.

"I wasn't powerful enough," Minerva whispered, burying her face in her hands and sobbing again. "Daphne said she'd make me strong. So he gave me to her."

"What." Ultear's hands became fists, and the land trembled around them. "Your father. _Sold_ you. To Grimoire Heart. Because you weren't _strong_ enough."

Minerva shook her head. "No money. Just power." Juvia's hands flew to her mouth. _Who could...how could...?_ Drizzle fell around them, shrouding the fading twilight. No one complained.

The ground shook as though about to split open. Gray banished his Zero Flesh and put a hand on Ultear's shoulder. "Nee-san. We've got her. It's okay. She's with Fairy Tail now."

"Jiemma." Ultear looked down, her lips parting to bare clenched teeth. "His name's Jiemma. Got it. Gonna have to have a word." Minerva nodded again, and Ultear forced her power to obey. The ground around them shook less.

It didn't stop entirely. The dirt trembled on the rocks, as though a storm walked the earth in the distance. Juvia blinked. "That is not Ultear, is it?"

Minerva looked up, eyes wide again – this time with new horror. "Gods," she breathed. "It's him. You have to run! Run, as far and fast as you can! He's here!"

"We're on an island," Gray noted.

"Your sister makes territory gates!" Minerva cried, grabbing Gray's shoulders. "He is the army-smasher, the guild-slayer! Please, you saved me, I don't want you to die!"

"Tch." Gray crossed his arms. "We're not gonna. We're Fairy Tail. This is our sacred ground, and we'll beat the crap out of anyone who messes with it. On purpose," he added when she looked away.

"You don't understand," Minerva whispered, looking towards the center of the island. "He's more powerful than Daphne and Siegrain combined. _He's Bluenote Stinger."_

Juvia blinked. "Who?"


	97. Vol. 18, Ch. 1

**Volume Eighteen: By the Pale Moonlight**

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Jellal & Ultear (Jellal POV starts with a +, Ultear with a ~)

\+ _I am really sick of these drones,_ Jellal grumbled, smashing a three meter tall Zalty into lacrima bits. He whirled around, looking for his next target. The sky was clear of enemies, though the rain didn't abate. He blinked. _Huh._ Checking his crude, chalk-drawn Archive screens, Jellal examined what few of Daphne's systems he could read through her wards. _Mavis and Chronos. I've got to study Archive magic more,_ he grimaced, working through the handful of command protocols that weren't blocked by giant red X-es. _My only real shot is to find wherever the main Archive hub is. Probably Daphne herself._

"Sir!" Meredy called, flying to his side. "It looks like we got them. How's the Archive thing going?"

"Not as well as I'd like," Jellal admitted, waving at the Archive windows to flip between them. "I've only recently begun to study Archive Magic. It appears that Daphne is a master of the art. Fortunately, her arrogance has left a few gaps in what she considers low-priority records." He tapped one image of Natsu's Dragonoid. "It appears that her Lizard Men rely on a central Archive lacrima, one implanted in a person. She mentions it in her notes, but was smart enough not to leave access codes on this level."

"You can find it, though, right?" Meredy blurted, flying closer to him and looking down. Some terrible force rocked Tenrou, pushing trees and boulders aside as it shook the earth and moved toward the island's center. "We're running out of time."

~ Gray, Juvia, and Cana gasped and fell to their knees, shaking and struggling to stop from falling over. "Gray-san, Juvia-san, what's wrong?" Minerva pleaded, rushing to them. Ultear swayed in place, her ethernano trickling away. _Ow? What's..._

A tremendous, heart-wrenching _crack_ echoed from the Tenrou Tree's base. Fairy Tail's sacred heart groaned and leaned away from the Grimoire airship. _Oh, no,_  Ultear gasped, feeling hateful power grasp at her magic. "Minerva? Do you know what's happening?"

"Azuma was supposed to destroy the Tenrou Tree and drain Fairy Tail's magic, but Mirajane Strauss defeated him," Minerva explained. "Some of the others might have been able to damage it, but the only other wizards who could drain your ethernano are Master Hades and – Siegrain," she whispered.

"Oboy," Ultear muttered. "Okay, everybody out of the pool." She grimaced, forcing herself to open a gate to the camp and Mira. The spiraling ripple created by her Arc of Space opened just enough to stick her head through, but at least it gave Ultear a look at the campsite.

No Mirajane. For that matter, the others were scrambling like ants whose hill had been kicked over, searching everywhere around them. "Nee-san!" Lisanna sobbed. "Nii-san! Where are you?"

"Elfman!" Evergreen called, trying to sound angry. _It's obvious she's on the verge of tears – wait, Elf too?_ Ever cupped her hands around her mouth. "If you die, I'll kill you!"

Golden lashes of force wrapped around Gray and Juvia, pulling them into the distance even as they struggled. Ultear gasped. "Go," Cana whispered, but before Ultear could choose a direction, the storm of destruction turned in their direction. _Mavis, now what?_

\+ Jellal raced towards the Tenrou Tree, using all his power to hold it up. Ethernano trickled away as he strained. "Meredy, you still with me?" he grunted.

"Y-yeah," she hissed, "but I don't think – we can hold – the Tree, much–"

With the terrible ripping sound of the world's heart breaking, the Tenrou Tree crashed to earth, ruined. Birds raced through the sky, flying for safer land. Beasts rushed away from the destruction, creatures of every size seeking shelter. "What the Grim just happened?" Jellal blurted, magic senses reaching out. _Something's obscuring me – no, some_ one _– but it's temporary._  He shook his head. _Later. I need to find Wendy. Maybe the two of us together can –_

_"JELLAL!"_ Erza screamed.

The world vanished in a sea of crimson fury. Jellal didn't cast Fifth Gear – it just _happened,_ without command or effort, even though he'd never even imagined the spell possible. The world came to a halt, leaves trapped in mid-fall, bird wings frozen between beats. No longer hindered by the drain on his magic, the Starburst tracked the sound and shot right towards it.

Crashing through a Solid Seal knocked him out of Fifth Gear, but his Meteor Wave combined with his speed did the job. All the same, Jellal came to a halt several meters away from Erza. _Probably just as well,_ he decided.

Siegrain was there, floating in his way, arms crossed, wearing his white Councilor suit. Black bat-like wings spread from it, and his fingernails had grown into short claws. He smirked, faint trails of magic curving behind him like wisps of smoke. They led to three pairs: Mirajane with Elfman, Gray with Juvia, and Kagura with Simon. Mira was holding Elfman by the neck, Gray had a wicked double-edged saber poised over Juvia's heart, and Kagura held Defender to Simon's throat. Erza was on her knees, head raised, eyes closed. "Jellal, PLEASE–" Titania opened her eyes, gasping with relief.

"So here we are," Siegrain laughed. "This is what you mean to your precious Erza, Jellal. Pitted against the devil-god I've become, left with but a fraction of your magic, she screams for you, knowi–"

Jellal flew, fist smashing right into Sieg's face. _That felt too good,_ he thought, Siegrain flying over where the Tenrou Tree had been.

~ "Fairy Glitter," the white-robed man intoned. Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Happy, and Carla floated behind him, helpless in his magic grip. Natsu, predictably, looked sick. The drizzle was a storm of white liquid around the newcomer, even the rain shattered into foam in the aura of his magic. "One of you has Fairy Glitter. Brain has sensed it." Ultear stared at the human monster. _I thought I was strong, but this guy – this_ thing _– what is he?_

Minerva shook, crying, but stood by Ultear's side. "Bluenote," she whispered.

Cana drew five cards and held them out. _Cana, what are you doing?_ Ultear wondered. "Don't worry, pony tail," she mocked, smirking at the long green tube snaking from his head, "you'll get a taste of Fairy Tail power soon enough!" _Even if you had any magic left, there's no way you could throw those from that position!_

"Hmph." Bluenote pointed one finger at Cana, and his power slammed her to earth. "You are obviously not the one, trash."

"Don't...talk like that...about my daughter," Gildarts growled, staggering towards Bluenote. The Grimoire ace raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder. Ultear gasped in horror as Stinger's magic slammed her father to the ground. A memory from long ago resurfaced, of a god made flesh smashing through a man-made Hell as though it were cardboard to save one broken child. _And even Dad's powerless? Am I all that's left?_ Somehow, the drain on her magic had stopped. "Arc-Comm," she commanded, and mercifully, the shorthand worked. "Check in, is anyone left?"

\+ Erza laughed. "You thought this was a betrayal? Memory has made a fool of you, Siegrain. This contest is over."

Siegrain snarled and rushed at Erza, but Jellal intercepted him, their fists crashing into each other like rival asteroids. "What the Grim is _wrong_ with you?!" Jellal demanded, pressing with all his might against Siegrain's newfound strength. "How could you side with Daphne over us?" Wave magic lashed out, freeing Siegrain's puppets from his control. Mira, Gray, and Kagura all collapsed sideways, the intended victims unharmed.

"I was always a Grimoire Heart wizard, Jellal," Siegrain explained. His right eye rolled over in his head, revealing a foul eye-like rune drawn in a Z shape. "Dark Mass!" Sieg held his free hand behind him, and power oozed out from it as tentacles –

– _made of shadows filled with runes the color of old blood –_

In spite of the lives at stake, Jellal was frozen in place until the demon force smashed into him, throwing the Shield of Fiore aside. He tumbled, hitting the earth several times before coming to a halt. Jellal thought he heard Erza's voice, but couldn't make out the words through the ringing. _Wait, there are no bells on Tenrou. This is bad._ Siegrain floated towards him with casual ease surpassing contempt. "You never did figure out why you don't remember me from before the Tower, did you, Jellal?" Siegrain whispered, making a fist around the dark tentacles. He reached into them, pulling out a bloodstained bag. "Master Hades worships the Dark, brother. It is his religion, and I was born into it."

Jellal froze when the bag landed a foot from his face. _Oh, gods,_ he thought, Siegrain floating in place with his arms crossed. Not wanting to look but unable to turn away, Jellal used his telekinesis to open the sack.

Alphonse's lifeless eyes looked back. "Magic comes from the depths of humanity, brother," Siegrain whispered. Jellal could not scream; the grief stole his breath. "Our oldest selves, when stone and fire ruled the earth. It was an age of blood and darkness – and magic. The One Magic."

Jellal felt his heart shatter. "You want blood and darkness and magic, little brother?" he whispered. "I'll show you what they look like."

"Check in, is anyone left?" Ultear called in his ear.

Snarling, the Starburst stood, the first hints of Altairis gathering at his fingertips. "Not now, Ultear."

"Ultear-sensei?" Meredy blurted. "Is that you?" Siegrain blinked, then laughed with madness given voice. _I said not now,_ Jellal decided, holding his arms up, crossed over his head.

~ "Okay. It's just the three of us," Ultear muttered, taking a step back from Bluenote. "Our world's counterparts to Crime Sorciere. Not coincidence." She swallowed. "I could really use some help here."

"Fighting Siegrain," Jellal growled. "Demon Siegrain." Ultear's eyes widened. _Okay, are we in any way_ not _screwed?_ she wondered.

"I'm busy with a spider-demon-girl," Meredy replied, "but maybe I can – mmph!" The sounds of hand-to-hand combat echoed through Meredy's comm-gate.

"I'm sorry," a different woman's voice whispered through the portal, playful and cruel, "but the wizard you called has been disconnected. Please give up and die again." She laughed, and the gateway snapped shut.

_Meredy – no, I can't worry about her now,_ Ultear realized. "Jellal, tell me you have a plan for Siegrain," she pleaded. "Arc Crash: Annihilation!" Her most destructive spell roared at Bluenote, slamming harmlessly into a wall of raw might.

"Territory," Minerva chanted. The wall of power wavered. Bluenote grunted, and his invisible magic struck the younger mage, sending her flying.

"Yes," Jellal whispered, his voice flat and cold. "Altair–"

_"No!"_ Ultear cried. "Mavis, Jellal, he's still your brother!" _Please, Jellal, don't give up – not you!_

Bluenote snorted. "Family means nothing in war. This is why you fairies will lose." He took a step towards Ultear, his toes brushing Cana's cards.

"Full House Flash," Cana grinned. Three of the cards flared with blue light, while the other two blazed white. Bluenote's magic spiraled into them, the second and fourth cards pulling at the Grimoire ace. "Your own magic. Sucker." _Brilliant!_ Ultear exulted.

"Hnn!" Bluenote's magic flared again, sending Cana flying towards Minerva. Her cards remained pinned to the ground. He staggered for a moment, shaking his head.

"Redistribution!" Ultear chanted, switching locations with her father. Gildarts yelped, while Bluenote snorted and glanced away from the violet-haired mage. She leaped at Bluenote, fist surrounded by her Arc Crash.

Bluenote caught her fist, turning and glaring. "Tricks. Pathetic." Ultear had just enough time for her eyes to widen before he sent her crashing into a tree.

\+ Siegrain flew into Jellal with speed beyond Meteor's usual swiftness. Jellal gave up on Altairis, letting the hungry shadows fall apart as they flew back. "Let them go, Jellal. You're destiny is with us!" Sieg cried, Dark Mass reaching for Jellal again.

"Starburst," Jellal chanted, desperate and fierce. The golden blasts countered Siegrain's shadows, burning them away. "I'm a Fairy Tail wizard," he panted, churning with ragged cadence, a damaged engine refusing to quit.

For a moment, Siegrain looked away. His fists trembled at his sides. _Sieg? Are you back?_ Jellal wondered. "Jellal...I'm not, exactly, your brother."

"Really." The Starburst had thought his heart could not break any further. _I thought wrong._ "What are you, then?"

Taking a long, breath, Siegrain met Jellal's eyes, his own gaze at once both calm and broken. "I'm you." Jellal blinked, then let go a harsh, mirthless laugh. "Do you remember that day in the Tower," Sieg continued, "when Daphne came to you?"

"After torturing me for hours, you mean?" Jellal snarled. "After torturing _Erza_ for hours? No idea what you're talking about. I mean, besides reliving it _once a night."_ His own fists trembled, cosmic might swirling around them. "While we're discussing torture, neat trick with my friends, in a 'pure evil' sort of way."

"She gave you up," Siegrain snarled back. "Your precious Titania. All her talk about the strength to protect her friends, and I got her to scream you into a trap in under a minute."

For the first time since the Tenrou Tree collapsed, power surged into Jellal. In the distance, the columns of light shone bright against the fading sunset. He scarcely noticed through the fury. "Erza trusted me. She knew I'd find a way to protect them. You wouldn't know what trust means, though, would you? Tell me, what did Alphonse say to you when you came to murder him?" At some point, Jellal had started crying again. "Or didn't you have the courage to look him in the eyes before you _ripped his head off!"_

"Daphne tried to use Possession Magic on you," Siegrain replied, his voice flat and empty. "She wasn't quite as good at it as Ultear was in the original universe, though. So when you resisted, when it didn't work, she took the spell back out." He held out his arms. "Did Brain tell you about my body wards? The ones that keep scrying magic from examining beneath my skin?"

Jellal froze. His mouth went dry, the magic slipping from his grasp. "You're the Archive hub," he gasped, stumbling back. Siegrain nodded. "You're a – a copy, a backwards mirror version of me." _My friendship became his enmity, my love turned into his hate, a bizarre nightmare-devil made flesh. Made into Siegrain._

"I'm not backwards," Siegrain insisted. "I'm your true self, your darkness revealed in pain and sorrow." He lowered his arms and spread his wings, twin horns of blood-rune darkness curving from his brow. "You _know_ that they're not worth it. They're not worth your love, your heart, your pain, your grief – not one finger of you." He held out a hand, and the demon shadows gathered over his palm. "I am your shadow, no more, no less. You understand the void, Jellal. Every light from a star shines only because of the endless nothing around it. This is you. The real you. Embrace it."

_There is no such thing as freedom in this world,_ a voice from beyond the world mocked. _I will make your dream reality._ At the edge of the void, Jellal saw a smile – mad, broken amusement at the joke that was life. _Freedom is within you._ The smile was Siegrain's. The smile was _his._

The last remnants of twilight faded away, leaving only night.

~ _There is no such thing as freedom in this world,_  Ultear heard in a voice almost exactly her own, singing from Grim to doom hope's champion.

The Crash Sister gasped, eyes flying wide, as she came to. _How long was I out?_ Ultear wondered, then exhaled in relief when she saw the leaves still falling from the tree she'd smashed through. She held still, listening, her caution rewarded by the sound of Bluenote's footsteps. "Give it to me," he demanded. "Fairy Glitter! That spell will make me fly!"

_I will make your dream reality._ Chains of shadow and blood-colored runes obeyed a monster's will, drowning a future of light and love.

"Jellal," she whispered. "Please, help me." She reached for magic, family, hope, but grasped only air and darkness.

_Freedom is within you._ The voice stabbed at a pure heart, twisting a hero through a mirror darkly, to serve as sleight of hand. She brought slavery and ruin on a whim, out of envy, out of spite, because it amused her. "please. jellal, please. i can't do this alone," Ultear begged, hardly daring to breathe.

_I..._ Jellal thought, but Ultear heard it as clearly as her own mind. _I am...this is what I am..._

Ultear felt power gather around her arm. _Darkness?_ Terror gripped her heart. _Why?_

Mom smiled at her. _Cold isn't a thing, but rather the absence of heat._ Simon grinned, wrapping curtains of night around them. _So you like my magic, huh?_ Cana laughed, drawing the Death card. _This symbol doesn't mean the end. It means change._

A memory rose from the void. _Jellal looked up from his telescope to see Ultear watching him. "How can you like nighttime so much, Blue?" Ultear complained. "You're not even dating."_

_Jellal coughed, and Ultear grinned at the sight of his blush. "I like the stars." Ultear raised one eyebrow._ Yeah, because no one's figured that out, _she thought, shaking her head. "You're close to Simon. I thought you'd understand." Ultear blinked, and Jellal smiled. "It's when the night is darkest that the stars shine most bright."_

"Shine," Ultear whispered.

\+ "Shine," Jellal whispered.

Siegrain stared. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You're not me, Sieg," Jellal said, looking up. "You're right about one thing, though. I know the darkness, the void. I've fought it all my life." He made a fist. "That's why I'm the Starburst."

"Now you're just babbling," Siegrain retorted, sighing. The blood-runes roiled around the copy. "None of that makes sense."

"Only now," Jellal explained, his right arm glowing with a golden light. "Only in the void, in the emptiness, when all other light is lost – _only now do the stars shine most bright!"_

**Music Cue: Fairy Tail Theme - Tenrou Island ver.**

~ Ultear stood, the symbol returning to her arm, the magic returning to her soul. "You want Fairy Glitter, foot soldier? Be careful what you wish for! Gather to me!"

Bluenote stared, eyes bulging. "There's no way a girl like you could use it!" he spat. "Fall!"

\+ "O River of Light," Jellal chanted, fist punching at the sky.

"Your spell takes too long, brother," Siegrain snorted. "Let me show you one I learned from _my_ guild. Black Hole!" A sphere that was more than dark, devouring light itself, formed just beyond where the Grimoire mage held out his palms. Siegrain clapped his hands, and the sphere doubled in radius.

~ Bluenote laughed. "This is an infinite gravity well that devours all! Even light itself cannot escape my magic!"

Ultear glared, forcing her Neutralization magic to defend her. _Have to...keep casting!_ She took a breath, and her arm gleamed more brightly. "...guided by the Fairies..." she chanted.

\+ "Fall! _Fall!"_ Siegrain cackled. "I am your fall!"

_Ignore it. Focus. I was never the monster in the Tower._ Jellal pointed his fist at Siegrain, and a ring of golden light formed around the Grimoire wizard. _He was._ "Shine down!"

~ "Fly! _Fly!"_ Bluenote howled, smiling like an evil Natsu.

_I am..._ Ultear glared at the villain. "In order to erase..."

\+ Jellal called on the lights of Heaven, and they responded, roaring down in a column of divine fury. "...the fangs of evil!" Siegrain stared up in disbelieving horror. The blood-rune shadows melted in the beam of cosmic might. _...I am..._

~ + _I AM A FAIRY TAIL WIZARD!_ Jellal and Ultear thought with the same voice, the same will. They were no longer two separate people. They were one magic, one heart, one spell...

They _were_ Fairy Tail.

"Unison Raid!" they cried. "FAIRY GLITTER!"

Two Black Holes shattered. Two rings of golden light imploded. Two columns of sacred magic erupted in divine wrath. Two enemies of Fairy Tail screamed, one smashed to the earth, one thrown to the heavens. Two guilds stared in awe.

But only one guild rose from the earth, shining in the night.

~ Ultear panted, leaning on her knees. "Cana? Natsu? Happy? Anybody still moving out there?"

"That was amazing!" Natsu cheered, his fist punching the air from where he lay in the mud. "You gotta fight me when we get back!" Happy groaned and facepawed. Lucy just groaned.

Somehow, Ultear laughed. "You're three cans short of a six-pack, Natsu. Don't ever change."

"Um, don't we still have a problem?" Lucy muttered. "The Tenrou Tree...is...getting back up?!"

Ultear turned and gaped, beyond shock. The Tenrou Tree was, in fact, rising from the ground, roots shifting and wood mending as they watched. _Why not? What's one more miracle, today?_

\+ Jellal fell to his knees, his brow covered in beads of sweat, as he used more magic than he thought he had to pull the great tree into place. Erza held onto him, staring, as life returned from the brink of death. "How are you doing this?" she whispered, trembling against him.

He trembled right back, beyond exhaustion. "Telekinesis, healing sky magic, Crime Sorciere's beacons, and the power of a guild that doesn't know how to quit," Jellal explained, arms outstretched and fingers twitching. Something on the upper island shifted, and Jellal almost lost his grip, but with a burst of will, a seal of chalk, and some help from Mystogan's final gift, he managed to force the Tenrou Tree upright and restore the guild's magical energy. "Not sure how the wood's melding so smoothly, though. It's not just me."

"Azuma," Mirajane replied, staggering over. Her smile was pure Mira, kind and gentle. "He's not as bad as he tried to be." Jellal nodded, too weary to say anything more. With the guild's sacred bond restored, he collapsed into Erza's arms. "I'll...check on Elfman." She retreated, leaving the two alone again.

Erza buried her face in his shoulder. "I was worried about you," she admitted.

Jellal glanced over at Siegrain. "Yeah." He chuckled. "I was worried about me too." Erza snorted. "Erza, I was _terrified_ for you. Hearing you scream like that...I couldn't even imagine what could do that to you." His head bowed, almost against his will. "Figures it was Siegrain. Why did I ever think–"

"No," Erza ordered. Jellal wasn't stupid enough to keep talking. "You just carried all of Fairy Tail out of despair. You will not do this to yourself, not now."

"I had some help," Jellal sighed. "Siegrain isn't my fault. I know that. It's just..." his eyes betrayed him, turning to look at his prone brother, and the bloody sack beside Siegrain. "...we're still brothers...aren't we?"

Webbing shot from the treetops, grabbing Jellal and yanking him into the air. The last thing he saw before a strand sealed his eyes shut was Erza reaching out, her face a mask of horror. "JELLAL!" she cried, and then the world was dark.


	98. Vol. 18, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Meredy

Meredy flexed her lips. They stung from where she'd pulled Araña's webbing off her mouth, but they didn't feel damaged. _No, I'm just hiding from one of Fairy Tail's enemies when the only guild members with any power left are the not-Crime-Sorciere. Which includes me._ She peered through the leaves, looking for the spider-demon, but found only her enormous web suspended in the trees.

Two enormous columns of golden light erupted before her, destroying her shame as they struck down Fairy Tail's enemies. Meredy smiled. _Whoa. Don't mess with Fairy Tail._

When the columns vanished, Meredy heard a chittering hiss, and the psychic mage froze. _Oboy._ She crept to the end of her current branch, to find Araña glaring down at Jellal and Erza from the center of a massive web strung through the trees. Freed, Bickslow, Simon, and Kagura were already cocooned and suspended in it, each only visible from the nose up. Bickslow struggled to breathe, his helmet attached to the webbing. Carefully, when their captor snatched Gray and Juvia up while Jellal was busy saving the Tenrou Tree, Meredy created a tiny Psyche Blade to slice the threads away from that part of Bickslow's helmet. She was soon rewarded with the sound of more regular breathing. And a wink from behind his grill. Meredy rolled her eyes.

Then Araña grabbed Jellal, and Meredy froze while Erza cried out. Somehow, the knight-mage summoned her sword, staggering to her feet. "Face me, coward!" Erza roared.

"Okay," Araña said from behind Titania, Erza spun with incredible speed, but somehow the Grimoire wizard was faster. One of her extra limbs knocked the sword away, two more spun webbing around Erza, and the fourth worked with one arm to carry the redhead into Araña's web. Then she stuck Erza to Jellal, face to face, and the two objected in muffled protest. "That ought to keep you two out of my hair long enough to neutralize the rest of your ridiculous guild. Ultear should be the only real challenge left." Araña scowled. "Well, there's pinkie pie, but she's been hiding from me since she figured out I could take her apart." More muffled protests.

Meredy's jaw tightened. _She's right, though. I've been up here trying to figure out what to do, but I haven't come up with anything._  She thought about Jellal's fight with Siegrain and Ultear's with Bluenote. _No. This situation is as different from them as it can get when a Fairy Tail wizard's fighting a Dark enemy._ Intuition sent Meredy higher into the branches, moving above the Grimoire spider-mage. Using her telekinesis to shake the leaves below her, the psychic called down, "Don't get cocky."

"Web Wave!" Araña chanted, and a storm of magic-stealing threads shot upward. Gravity, and the sound distortion created by shifting the leaves, was on Meredy's side, and she flew between trees, avoiding the trap. "You should've kept running, songbird," Araña mocked.

"What's a kid doing with the worst dark guild in the world?" Meredy asked, still using her magic to hide where she was speaking from.

"I'm older than you are," Araña snarled, leaping through the branches to land on a tree, clinging to it upside-down. _Just like a spider. Uh-oh._ Araña swung by her threads from tree to tree, eyes darting for any sign of Meredy. "You're a cute little pink princess. Must be nice."

"So what are you?" Meredy asked, carefully sinking closer to Araña's altitude.

Landing on one of the branches, the Grimoire mage held out her taloned hands, flared her spider's legs out behind her, and bared her fanged teeth. Eyes with hints of segmentation glittered in the starlight. "I saved my whole town from a spider-demon. By myself. Five years ago. When I was _younger_ than you are now. They took one look at this–" she gestured to herself with one set of fingertips, "–and drove me out. A few of them tried to _kill_ me. Everyone I'd ever known turned on me. Master Hades and Lord Bluenote took me in. Taught me to control my magic, accept my power. Turned me from a weak little thread girl too stupid to stop helping people into a goddess of Lost Magic. If those broken candles are so afraid of my Venom Soul, then the world is better off without them! Venom Rush!"

Meredy yelped in spite of herself when Araña started leaping from tree to tree with incredible speed, becoming a blur. Meredy flew upward, but Araña found her and slammed into the girl, sending them both tumbling into her web. "Psyche Blades!" Meredy wailed, her psychic swords cutting her free before the web could steal her magic. Araña laughed and chased her towards the earth. "Psychosphere!" A shield of mental force formed around her as a bubble, and the two young mages crashed into the ground.

Meredy bounced away while Araña landed in a low crouch, almost pressed against the earth. "You can't escape me, princess!" the Venom Mage snarled, leaping after Meredy.

_She's right about that much. I can't abandon my friends. I have to turn this fight around somehow,_ Meredy realized. _Please work..._ she prayed, reaching out to Araña. "Psyche Link!" The bubble popped, leaving Meredy sliding in a clumsy landing.

Araña laughed and crashed into the younger mage, two of her spider legs piercing Meredy's sides. Meredy gasped, barely holding herself upright. Araña, however, howled and leaped back, the legs she'd attacked with retracting into her body while she held her sides with both arms. Bruises had formed just below her ribs, the wounds matching Meredy's. "What did you – how did you do that?!" the Grimoire mage gasped, legs wobbling.

"Jellal and Ultear have awful nightmares about what happened to their counterparts," Meredy explained, holding up her right arm. The band of violet energy on her wrist glowed faintly in the night. Araña's eyes widened, and she looked down to find an identical band on her own wrist. "Not me. The other Meredy lost her family in one terrible night, but gained a wonderful mother, and then an amazing father. So many of her memories are happy that old sorrows drown in them. That's where I found this." She focused, and both magic bands glowed more brightly. "Psyche Blade!" Meredy formed a short, thick dagger of mental power – and shoved it into the wound Araña's attack had left behind. The pain drove Meredy to her knees, but Araña screamed and nearly collapsed, propped up on one arm. "You think you're the only one who knows what pain is like? You think your determination to hurt us can match a Fairy Tail wizard's need to protect her family? _My_ family?" A dozen more Psyche Blades formed around Meredy. "Prove it."

Araña looked up, abject fury in her glare. "Grimoire Heart's the only family that never abandoned me! I'll die before I fail them!" With that, she charged at Meredy.

The psychic mage grimaced. _Am I doing this wrong?_  she wondered, releasing the mind swords and throwing Araña back with a wave of force. That knocked the devil-spider back, but the blow left Meredy reeling. All her effort went into staying upright. _I can win, I know I can..._ Mirajane's words about Azuma's help echoed in her memory. _...but maybe Araña doesn't have to lose._ Meredy cast her mind out as Araña rose again, her entire body shaking, for yet another attack. _Is that – yes! Please, help us!_ she called out. "Three Spread Psyche Link!"

Araña skidded to a halt, her eyes dropping to the link band again. "What – this is a trick!"

_No,_ Erigor thought. _No trick. Just Fairy Tail. They're...not what you think they are. Neither is Grimoire Heart._ With magic and determination, Meredy forced herself to stand, walking towards the spider woman.

"No. No! Master Hades – Lord Bluenote – Lady Daphne – they took me in, accepted me, made me strong!" Araña shook her head violently enough to throw one tear aside. "Grimoire Heart is all I have!"

Meredy reached Araña and put her arms around the Grimoire mage in a gentle hug. _Thank you, Juvia-chan,_ she thought, both versions of the water wizard glowing with warmth in her memory. "It doesn't have to be," Meredy insisted. "You've been trying so hard to be scary, but you don't want to hurt anyone, do you?" Araña shuddered, all four legs springing out to quiver over Meredy's back. "You said you used to save people. You still want to, don't you?"

"I...don't..." Araña began to sob in Meredy's arms. "...they're awful...terrible...all of them...cruel, selfish, cowardly, they don't care..."

"Not everyone," Meredy insisted. "People are people. Some are mean, but there's lots of others who want to reach out when they see someone in pain. Like you."

"I...I just...didn't want to..." Araña wept. "I don't want to be alone."

"You're not," Meredy whispered. "Not any more."


	99. Vol. 18, Ch. 3

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Ultear-1

_Jellal, Meredy, check in,_ Ultear-1 called.

_I'm fighting the weird sword lady from the Tower,_ Meredy-1 replied. _She's parrying my Maguilty Sodom, but that works both ways._ Ultear-1 sensed her daughter dart around the wizard duelist. _Now that she's out of lizard copies, I think I've got her._

_As long as you're careful,_ Jellal-1 cut in. _I'm facing this world's Brain. He claims he has Zero's power and his own intellect. If true, either I've improved more than I thought, or Brain is attempting to lull me into overconfidence._

_Let me know if either of you needs help,_ Ultear-1 sent. _Master Hades has retreated to the airship, and these small fry are boring. I'll let you know if – wait. Incoming._

"Come along, yes, yes," Daphne laughed, the unconscious Zeref floating behind her on a crystal gurney. The obsessed wizard was looking over her shoulder at the legendary dark mage. "To think, I was worried that Fairy Tail might stop us, but they're too stupid to track someone who isn't directly attacking them."

Ultear cleared her throat. Daphne froze, head whipping around to face the Crime Sorciere wizard. "You were saying?" the time mage asked, smiling and putting a hand on one hip.

Daphne squealed, eyes wide in terror. Ultear smirked. "Ether Dragon Roar!" Daphne cried, firing the blast from her mouth Slayer-style.

Riding her Arc of Time, Ultear dodged the beam with a speed that bent reality. "Flash Forward!" The barrage caught Daphne unaware, pounding her from every direction at once. While Daphne screamed, Ultear strode to Zeref's side. _Now, how do I deal with this? Zeref's more dangerous than all of Grimoire Heart combined, even if he's still kind._ She looked down sadly at the mournful wizard sleeping before her. _Maybe especially if he's kind. Ankhseram is a cruel god._

With a roar, Daphne burst free of the barrage, wings and arms smashing away the Arc orbs. _What?_ Ultear wondered, turning her attention back to the enchantress. "I'm the leader of the Seven Kin in this world, coward! Hidden Cage!"

A seal appeared beneath Ultear, its miasma reaching out to entrap her. "Decay!" she chanted, taking the spell apart before it could consume her. "Grimoire Heart can't give you happiness, Daphne. Luminous Minutes!"

Daphne curled up, absorbing the light-suffused blows from the orbs, then inhaled when the spheres returned to Ultear's wristbands. "Yum," Daphne grinned, patting her stomach. "Your magic is tasty. Ether Dragon Iron Fist!" She flew at Ultear Natsu-style, fist first.

Again, Ultear dodged, though not as easily as she would have liked. _Strong. Fast. Resilient. And she eats magic._ The time mage watched as Daphne circled around for another strike. _Not all magic, though. She could only eat the remnants of ether left behind by Luminous Minutes. She didn't absorb anything but punishment from Flash Forward. Hm._ Concentrating, Ultear put fist to palm. "Ice-Make: Rampart!"

The massive wall appeared directly in front of Daphne, but the artificial Dragon Slayer smashed through it. Ultear used her Arc speed to dodge again. _Not surprising that she broke through, but Daphne wasn't able to eat that. Okay. Ether Dragon Slayer doesn't mean Magic Dragon Slayer. How can I use that?_ While Ultear analyzed, Daphne flew straight overhead. Archive windows formed all around the time wizard. _Uh-oh!_ The inventor laughed. "Ether Archive Blast!"

The Archive screens exploded as one, Ultear thrown into the air just as she started to fly. _Ow._ She curled into her cloak, letting it absorb some of the impact. _I have to think. Fast._ She unfurled in midair, spheres orbiting her again. "Infinite Sphere!" Half her orbs formed a defensive screen, while the rest shot at Daphne.

A Lizard Man with Ultear's hair appeared, countering her spell with a replica of it. Daphne laughed. "I get it. You're that other Ultear. You don't have a lot of tricks, do you?" she laughed. "Me, I can do this all day! Ether Dragon Shining Ray!" Daphne held out her hands, then brought them together, firing a beam of air-erasing force at Ultear.

_Gods!_ Again, Ultear dodged, but Daphne kept turning the beam towards her, like a sword with no end. _How am I supposed to – oh!_ She spotted one of the ward lights they'd prepared for the island's defense, and dove for it. "No you don't!" Daphne laughed, turning her beam on the light before Ultear could reach it.

Ultear smirked again, dodging, as the light struck back at Daphne, her own power added to its sacred might. "Yes, I do," Ultear chuckled, Daphne tumbling through the air. "Parallel Worlds." The time mage created over a hundred orbs beneath Daphne, allowing the villain's own momentum to throw her through them.

With a scream of pure rage, Daphne punched out again, her wings exploding against the air to bring her to a halt. "You miserable wretch!" she screamed. "I _will_ bring the dragons back, even if their eggs must be bathed in the blood of kingdoms! Secret Art: Ether Demolition Blade!" Ultear prepared to dodge, but the spell just appeared, its city-shattering power slamming her back to earth. For the first time since facing Demon Guard, Ultear screamed in agony. "Zalty Squad! Finish her!"

Five Zaltys, each with the face she'd worn to deceive and manipulate Lyon, threw themselves at her. Their eyes shot beams of deadly heat even as they raced to fly into her themselves. _My sins,_ she thought, exhaling, deflecting the murderous heat rays with her orbs. _That won't be enough to stop them. I wonder if I even should._ Ultear closed her eyes.

_Live!_ Her Jellal reached out to Ultear's mind, even as he drove back Genesis Zero with his starlight. _Live, and struggle! That is our oath!_ The time mage wavered, hardly wanting to any longer. _Ultear, don't give up. We have promises to keep. We have each other! A guild doesn't have to be Fairy Tail to be family!_

**Music Cue: Fairy Tail Main Theme**

Ultear's eyes flew open. "Decay!" she commanded. All five Zaltys turned to dust. Daphne gaped in disbelief. "You want to see the tricks I have up my sleeve, amateur?" Ultear mocked. The leader of the Seven Kin recoiled, more of her lethal magic gathering. "Take Over: Time Soul!"

The world ground to a halt. Ultear threw herself at Daphne, pounding on the woman until her fists bled from striking those monstrous scales. "Time Rush!" she chanted, and everything started moving again...except each of her blows was repeated tenfold, all at once.

Daphne wailed and tumbled across the sand. "No! It can't end like this! My dragons – I have to save them!" She pulled at the air, her magic throwing the Ur of this world at Ultear.

Ultear's eyes widened, then narrowed to blade-sharp slits. Summoning her time sword, she rushed at Daphne, slicing away one wing. While the Grimoire wizard screamed and retreated, her tail slapping up to press against the wound, Ultear caught her counterpart's mother in her free arm. "Using Ur was a mistake," she whispered, holding her mother's counterpart close. "Infinite Earth!"

The land itself rose up, hammering Daphne from every direction. Ultear panted from the effort, her ethernano draining to almost nothing. _This had better work,_ she thought, banishing her sword back into the time stream and wrapping her other arm around Ur.

When the spell ended, Daphne teetered in place, eyes unfocused. "Ether...Ether Dragon...Rrr...no, I'm so close...the dragons..." Tears streaming down Daphne's face, she fell, Zeref's sleeping form barely three meters from the airship.

Ultear dropped back to the ground, sitting in the sand in front of the airship and gasping for breath. _I am never doing that again._ She threw her cloak over Daphne and used her telekinesis to wrap up the broken madwoman, binding her wound in the process. _Jellal would be upset if I let her bleed out._ Above them, the storm grew, rain pouring down and lightning cracking the sky. With a brief ritual, Ultear transported her counterpart’s mother away from Grimoire Heart.

On cue, Jellal approached on foot, dragging the unconscious Brain behind him, while Meredy flew over, Ikaruga floating helplessly behind her. "Looks like we win," Meredy grinned, tossing the assassin on top of the unconscious Daphne. Her smile vanished as she regarded the airship. "So, um...are we going to fight Hades now? I mean, he made some terrible mistakes, but I kind of remember him not being so bad."

"We may have been good to each other," Ultear whispered, holding one arm with the other, "but Grimoire Heart was cruel." She couldn't help a grin, remembering their world's Fairy Tail confronting their Hades. "As much as I hate to deprive Natsu of a powerful foe, we should finish this." She glanced at Jellal.

Their guild master nodded. "I have no particular attachment to Master Hades, for good or ill. Let me take point. Ultear, you'll harry him with Parallel Worlds, then send your orbs after his Devil's Heart. Meredy, attack with Maguilty Rays until he finds a way to resist. If that happens, link me with him."

"What?" Meredy blurted. "Why?"

"He'll inevitably attack me. That might allow us to circumvent his Devil Heart protection," Jellal explained, folding his arms and gazing up at the main deck.

Hades strode to the railing, gazing down without concern at Crime Sorciere. "How interesting. You do not know who you are," Hades stated, folding his arms.

"I do," Jellal replied, pulling his cloak around him. Only his face could be seen beneath the blue hood. "You are not the Hades of our world. This world's Jellal need not hate you." Ultear looked at Jellal out of the corner of her eye. _Could he...does he know? Would he keep that from me?_

"He is now irrelevant," Hades said, turning halfway back towards the bridge. "As of this moment, so are you." His head whipped around, and Ultear yelped as she stood. Hades had removed his eyepatch. "Bifrost Formula 616: Parallel Wards!"

The gap between dimensions yawned wide around them, and Crime Sorciere fell in, tumbling back towards their homeworld.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOTATION: "616" is the dimensional designation number for the original Marvel Comics universe created in the 60s. I hope I don't have to explain what the Bifrost is. :-)


	100. Vol. 18, Ch. 4

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Jellal

"Runes are set," Freed reported, checking the glowing symbols on the earth.

"Same here," Levy added, nodding to Gildarts. The Crash wizard nodded, stroking Cana's hair. Jellal's Solid Seal returned to life, shielding the camp once more. Everyone was there, safe and stable, except for Erza's team plus Pantherlily. _They're storming the airship, as planned._ Jellal shook his head. _If you can call this a plan._

He exhaled and collapsed onto a cot, spent. _I should be with them,_ Jellal thought, taking in long, deep breaths. The storm helped, swirling the air around them, creating wind he could consume to replenish his magic. _No. Not yet, at least. I'm still a liability. My magic is depleted, and after Siegrain and...Alphonse..._ He looked over at Ur, her breath soft and quiet, and discovered he'd made a fist. _Everyone's healed as much as they need for now. None of this will matter if Hades Jupiters us from orbit._ As he checked the others over, Jellal's eyes stopped at Ultear, who was sitting cross-legged in the center of the camp. Her breathing was deep and even, her fingers in meditative loops in her lap. _Right. Focus. Master Makarov said we're going to need her by morning. I hope those lacrima beams we installed around the island do the trick. It's hard to believe something worse than Grimoire Heart, or even Zeref, might be coming._

Jellal closed his own eyes, picturing the mournful figure in black everyone was apparently after. _Just because the world thinks he's the greatest monster in history doesn't make it true. Stories make liars of us all, if we're foolish enough to treat them as fact._ His body twitched in memory of "The Room," where the cult had tortured him for what felt like forever. _Just because they did that in his name does not mean it was his fault. If Zeref was in seclusion on this island, he probably never knew._

Lightning struck the heart of the camp. Jellal sat up like a bolt himself, while others scrambled back – except, oddly, Freed. _The Grim? That should be impossible! My Solid Seal can withstand ordinary lightning with ease._ He convulsed, teeth clenched. _Did I screw it up?_

A moment later, the lightning faded, to reveal Laxus standing by the medical tent. "Oi oi," he called, "what kind of mess did I walk into?"

"Laxus-sama!" Freed cried, glomping the lightning wizard with a leap that the wounded Letter Mage shouldn't have been capable of. "You've returned!"

Laxus blushed, swallowed, and gently extracted himself from Freed's embrace. "Good to see you too, Freed. You're a mess. Small fry couldn't have done this to Fairy Tail." He looked around. "I'm guessing Daphne didn't just send those stupid lizard drone things."

"Grimoire Heart attacked," Jellal explained, glancing over at Master Makarov. He was still unconscious, his face a mask of sorrow even asleep. "Their Master Hades defeated your grandfather. We managed to beat the rest of their leaders with Crime Sorciere's help, but Hades is still on the airship. Erza's team went after him with Pantherlily, but I'm sure they'd welcome your assistance."

Laxus looked away. "Tch. Gramps is probably gonna be pissed at me anyway." He glanced back at Jellal, holding out a lacrima. The Starburst could sense the cosmic light stored within it. "I could use your help. If you think you're up to it...and you can trust me."

Jellal almost laughed at the desperate, pleading look Freed threw at him. Bickslow and Evergreen managed similar gazes from their cots. He chuckled and took Laxus' hand, the crystal recharging his magic almost completely. "I never stopped trusting you, Laxus." The lightning mage smiled, and his thunderbolt shot them into the sky.

_It's like Fourth Gear, and he just...does it,_  Jellal thought, looking down from the heavens as Laxus built up the charge for their landing. Though it was all in slow motion far below, the Starburst could tell that Erza's entire team was prone, while Master Hades loomed over them all. "Mavis, what happened down there?" Jellal blurted. _Erza..._

"That's the Second Master," Laxus explained. Jellal gasped. "He probably kicked their butts. Sounds like they were pretty wiped after the day you've all had. Anyone make S-Class?"

"Ultear, finally," Jellal said, raising an eyebrow at his old friend. "Is this really the time?"

Laxus shrugged. "This'll take a second. So Ultear finally got over her fear of power, huh? Glad to hear it." He glared at Hades. "Any idea why a former Fairy Tail guild master is a crazy dark wizard now? You were always the smart one."

Jellal sighed. "Intellect means nothing without information, Laxus," he noted. "Without some idea of what he's been up to for the past forty years, it could be anything from mind control to going power-mad."

"Ah well. I guess it doesn't matter. We've gotta take him down either way." Laxus cracked his neck twice, twisting his head from side to side.

"Let's keep it simple," Jellal suggested. "We blitz him up close at full speed, like that time we sparred with Gildarts together, while the Exceeds go after the Devil's Heart." Both men winced, remembering how fighting Gildarts had ended. "Keep him occupied until he's vulnerable." Laxus nodded. Then he put his hand on Jellal's back, and they crashed to the airship's deck, face to face with Hades.

_He was about to murder Natsu!_ Jellal realized, the magic pulse from Hades' fingers collapsing as they landed. "Meteor Wave!" he chanted, glaring at the dark wizard.

"This is the guy that hurt Gramps, right, Natsu?" Laxus asked, eyes locked onto their foe.

"Jellal-san!" Wendy cheered. Erza's gasp was wordless. _As eloquent as a speech to me,_ Jellal decided.

"Laxus..." Natsu joined in, smiling, one eye twitching and half-shut. _Gods, he's a mess._

"They came for us," Lucy whispered, wiping a tear aside.

Hades smirked at Jellal, his one eye flickering over the star mage. "I was afraid I would have to drag you here myself, God Slayer," he chuckled. Jellal blinked. _God Slayer? That's a weird mistake to make – if it is a mistake?_ Laxus snarled, recoiling from Hades. The dark guild master turned to face him in surprise. "Boy?" Hades blurted, gaping. Laxus' response was typical – a shocking head butt.

"Stick to the plan," Jelllal reminded him. Laxus nodded, and they both attacked Hades at full speed. Their punches and kicks were in perfect synch, forcing the ancient wizard to stay on the defensive. Still, Hades managed to parry every blow, sliding back even as the two drove at him.

In a fit of irritation, with a burst of tremendous force, Hades leaped to the remains of the upper deck. "You're descended from Makarov, eh, brat?" he asked Laxus, folding his arms.

"Honestly," Laxus sighed. "This fossil wiped the floor with you, didn't he?" Jellal turned a furious glare on the lightning mage.

Natsu just grinned back. "You said it," he admitted.

"Why are you here, Laxus?" Erza asked.

Jellal turned a fraction, not daring to take his eyes off Hades, even for Erza. "Does it matter?" the Starburst asked.

"I came to visit the First Master's grave," Laxus lied, fists at his sides as he glared at Hades. Jellal didn't need to turn to feel Erza's smile. _Honestly, Laxus,_ Jellal thought, grinning a fraction himself. "And look at this – the Second Master showed up too." Laxus' eyes narrowed, his glare crackling with thunder. "I suppose while you're here, I can dig a grave for you, too!"

"Well, well..." Hades leaped back down, arms still crossed, and smiled again. "Who would have thought, after my battle with Makarov, his smug grandson would fight me with my own heir at his side?" A dark aura rippled around the Second Master.

Behind Jellal, Erza pounded the deck with one fist. The Starburst himself bared his teeth at the Grimoire Master, Meteor Wave a blaze of fury around him. "All your schemes were for nothing, Hades. The Tower of Heaven couldn't break me, and Erza rescued me from your mad scientist. Twice." Jellal's feet left the floor, buoyed by his aura. "I'll never surrender to your malice."

"I don't think that's what he means, Blue," Laxus whispered. "Ping-Pong." Jellal nodded.

As one, they erupted from their stances to race around either side of Hades, moving at speeds impossible for normal human eyes to track. Laxus pounded him from the left, knee strike followed by an uppercut. Jellal flew in from the right, sliding into their foe's legs feet-first. _Are we too fast for him this time, or is he so damn invulnerable that he's just taking it to observe us?_ Laxus shot overhead while Jellal darted aside, and the Dragon Slayer smashed Hades' head into the deck, leaving a crater where the guild master's face landed.

Hades floated up, dodging the next blows from both wizards. "Hm. You have acceptable form, brat," he said, watching Laxus as he retreated. "And that magic power – impressive. I hadn't realized the boy had another mage at the level of Gildarts and my son."

Jellal twitched. "Stop it!" he snarled, hunger to plant his fist in Hades' face raging through him. "I don't care how you created Siegrain, my only family is Fairy Tail!" The Starburst raced at Hades with an overhand smash, but one of the monster's chains gripped his wrists and threw him into a bulkhead.

"Jellal!" Erza cried, forcing herself to her feet. _Grim. I can't let him get to me,_ Jellal admonished himself.

"Weren't you telling me to stick to the plan?" Laxus drawled. "As for you, fossil, the old man once told me something about fighting someone stronger than me. 'It's not important how powerful your enemy is. What matters is standing up to him.' Right, Natsu?" He smiled. "I'm still standing, in case that eye isn't working so good."

"Hmph. Foolishness." Hades turned back to gaze on Jellal, who pulled the bulkhead out from the wall around him. The Cosmic Mage commanded the metal and wood to orbit him, and it obeyed without question. "As for you, God Slayer. 'Leo, the Lion. Its Nemean skin cannot be pierced.'" Jellal's feet fell to the deck, his debris weapons following immediately after. Meteor vanished as he went pale. "Ah, you paid attention. You always were a good boy. 'The light of Regulus belongs to the Zodiac King, and so it is known as the King Star.' For all your magic, with Leo's master that girl of glass at your back, you still haven't claimed its light. Have you?"

_A four-year-old boy sat on the shoulders of the titan that was his father. It seemed that he had all the knowledge of the world at his fingers. "So the lion was bad, father?" Jellal asked, peering at the sky._

_"Oh, Leo is born of many legends," the great man explained. "Yes, the Encas believed that Heracles defeated the maiden-stealing Nemean, but to the Pergrandians, Leo is the embodiment of kings. For them, Regulus is Qalb al-Asad, the 'Heart of the Lion,' the light of courage itself." Jellal squirmed on his father's shoulders, staring up in awe as he leaned on the top of the man's head. "Heh. Easy, boy. We have all night."_

_"I love you, father," Jellal whispered, eyes alight with the beauty of the stars._

_Pippoco bowed his head for a moment, then reached up, plucked his son from his shoulders, and held the tiny child in front of him. "I love you too, Jellal," he whispered back._

"Jellal! Head in the game!" Laxus roared, launching himself at Hades. "Lightning Dragon - ROAR!" The burst of lightning tore across the ship, Hades barely evading. Jellal shook his head to clear it, tears darting from his eyes, and flew in to help, Meteor Wave restored. Hades fired a chain at Laxus, who likewise dodged, while the Starburst fired his namesake spell at the villain. The blasts struck home, but Hades ignored them. Instead, he caught the massive globe at the back of the ship, using it as a wrecking ball to fling at the pair of S-Class wizards. Laxus dodged easily, but Jellal froze when Lucy screamed at the sight of the massive ball hurtling toward her. _Crap!_ Jellal smashed through it, reducing the globe to powder. _Ow. What was that thing made of?_

A burst of force threw both men back, and Hades gestured in a series of expert mudras. Purple circles of magic formed around Laxus, trapping him in a field of dark magic. _That's an Amaterasu formula!_ Jellal realized, casting out what chalk he had left to shield his partner – too late. The explosion rocked the ship, sending everyone but him and Erza flying. "That's the end for you and your 'blitz.' Now, my son – _what?!"_

Laxus erupted from the heart of the explosion, his lightning arcing across the roof to strike Hades from behind. His kick sent the dark guild master sprawling, landing face-first on his own deck. _That's my chance!_ Jellal held out his left palm, and the fingers on that hand vanished. Mystogan's five staves appeared around Hades, magic seals forming above their target one by one. "Five Layer Circle: Sacred Song!" he chanted, and Myst's destructive beam smashed Hades down through enough decks that Jellal lost track of him. Gray cheered, while Erza lowered her head and smiled.

"Amazing..." Lucy whispered. "Is that what S-Class is in Fairy Tail?"

"Did we get 'im?" Laxus asked, his body almost perfectly still where he stood. Jellal recalled his artificial fingers, strode to the hole in the ship, and concentrated. _Where...uh-oh!_ The Starburst flew back as Hades erupted from the opening, untouched save for the loss of his other gauntlet. "Guess not."

"You think?" Jellal grimaced, his last three pieces of chalk orbiting his hand. _Come on, Carla, Happy, Lily, we're counting on you!_

Hades laughed. "You really do remind me of a reckless boy, brat. It is almost enough to make me nostalgic." His dark power formed around his fist. "Almost. I have come too far to let children stand in the way of the Grand Magic World. Disappear!" Blue and gold fists flew at those without light. The explosion of inimical powers rocked the wounded ship once more.

Hades and Jellal slid back. Laxus tumbled away, landing to tremble on one knee. "Damn. Spell hit me...harder than I thought," the lightning mage grunted. Jellal gasped, darting between his friend and the man who _couldn't_ be his father. _Can he?_ Through the pain, Laxus chuckled. "The world sure is huge, for me to find a monster like this in it. I've got a long way to go, don't I, Blue?"

"What the Grim are you talking about, Laxus?!" Natsu howled, flinging himself up to his knees.

"You made a fine partner to my son, 'Laxus,' was it?" Hades sighed. "I suppose they never did use Pippoco, after all. It's just as well." Jellal swallowed, hands ready to draw forth a Solid Seal. "As for you, Jellal, I do not know how you can fight after the magic you've worked this day, but it will not save you." His good eye twitched. "I sacrificed you once. I will do it again. Thirteenth Eclipse!"

The remnants of Daphne's corruption came to life inside Jellal, tearing at him from within. A red haze colored the world even as pain overtook every sensation. Unable even to think, Jellal screamed, Meteor Wave popping like a soap bubble. He fell to the deck, writhing in agony, barely able to see Hades' titanic blast bringing Laxus down. Erza and her team were thrown aside once more, flying across the room like toys struck by an angry child. _No,_ Jellal swore, fighting through the pain. _Lucy. Natsu. Laxus. Wendy. Gray. Erza!_ He clenched his teeth and forced himself to his hands and knees. _I'm all that's left! I can't give in to pain, to malice – I can't let the Tower beat me, not now!_ Somehow, he forced himself to straighten, still on his knees but otherwise upright. "Mist Wave!" Calling on Mystogan's gift and his control over the ether, he transformed into wind, forcing the last of the corruption to remain solid as he vanished.

For an instant, the pain redoubled, but Jellal managed to force himself through it, and at last he was free. _I wish I had the time to appreciate it._ It took all the concentration he could scrape together to become solid again, but again he was up to the challenge.

Once he could focus again, Jellal saw Laxus prone on the deck two levels down, while Natsu rose, crackling with fire _and_ lightning. "That's all my power, Natsu." The Starburst gaped. _Laxus, you lunatic – did you take that blast without any magic left?_

"Why...me?" Natsu whispered. "I'm not as strong as you, Laxus..."

Laxus chuckled. "It's not about strong or weak. Who did this fossil hurt? It's gotta be you guys. It's gotta be wizards with the mark of the guild!" His smile grew. "Jellal, Natsu, all of you...pay him back, a hundred times over."

"A hundred times over...yeah. Got it." Natsu nodded. "Thanks for the meal." He glanced sidelong at Jellal. "Watch my back." Jellal blinked and nodded. _When he's in this...Dragon Force...he beat Siegrain like this. There might not be anything Natsu can't do with that magic._

"I'll place my faith in you, Natsu. Don't give him a second to think," Jellal replied. Natsu grinned. _And maybe that'll give me a chance to contact the Exceeds._ The young Dragon Slayer threw himself at Hades, striking with speed incredible even to Jellal, attack following attack in rapid, inspired succession. _Pantherlily, come in. Status?_

_Lord Jellal! We're under attack!_ Jellal gasped, eyes flickering briefly to Natsu's assault. _The Devil's Heart – its defenses are too much. We can't reach it, even with the training you've given Happy and Carla. He was ready for us!_

Jellal swallowed. _It's happening again. When we learn about the dark guilds from Crime Sorciere, they learn about us too. Hades was expecting the Exceed attack!_ Natsu broke the chains Hades had bound his hands with, then inhaled to gather all his power. _I don't dare interrupt, but once Natsu goes down, I'll be all that's left – and I can't fight Hades and help the Exceeds at the same time! Just have to hope this knocks him down long enough for us to take out the Devil's Heart..._

"Lightning-Flame..." Natsu swelled up with raw, unfathomable magic power. "...DRAGON ROAR!" Hades disappeared in the wrath of the Dragon Slayer as Natsu blew a hole in the ship. And Tenrou Island. And the ocean. _Mavis have mercy. Natsu...what are you?_

Jellal shook his head. _He bought us time. Got to use it – oh, come on!_ The utterly spent Natsu teetered on the edge of the ruined deck, and the Starburst flew to catch him. "Not so fast, Natsu, galley's the other way." Lucy rushed over to drag him to safety.

"Sorry...I guess I used it all up." He grinned. "We did it, though."

Jellal sat down where Natsu had stood, focusing. _Okay. Time to get over another fear. Thought Projection, Thought Projection,_ he insisted to himself, willing a small version of himself to take form by the Exceeds. For a moment, he caught sight of a massive clockwork wall of gears, belts, pulleys, and springs, with several automata emerging from it. The remains of dozens more were scattered around the three cat-mages, destroyed by Pantherlily's new sword – _where did he get that? –_ and the combined wind magic of Happy and Carla. Meanwhile, human soldiers and Lizard Man drones blocked their escape.

Happy giggled at the sight of his arrival. "Look, it's chibi Jellal! He's so cuuute!" _Oh, great._

"Not now, Happy!" Carla warned, firing a blast of air with her wings. An automaton coming at Happy from behind shattered against the wall.

"Lord Jellal, we need to bypass this security system. Can you disarm it?" Pantherlily asked, scattering entire squads with his swordsmanship.

"I'll try," Jellal demurred, forming projections of his favorite chalk pieces around him. _Okay. This looks like an elaborate door. It appears to serve as its own lock. Clever._

"Such impressive children," Hades intoned. The shock threw Jellal out of his Thought Projection, and he returned to his body with a shudder. _Grim! We're out of time!_ The others gasped. "Makarov, you madman." After a moment to gather his strength, the Second Master rose to contemplate them with imperious calm. "You trained some frightening brats." A flicker of magic restored him utterly, even replacing his cloak.

"No," Wendy whimpered. Jellal couldn't stop trembling himself. _Everything Crime Sorciere's done for us...so many acts of kindness and mercy...are they going to destroy Fairy Tail? Is this the end, because someone wanted to save me from being too weak to save myself?_

"Only Jellal is any challenge now, and I could deal with him at my leisure," Hades continued, "but you fought well, and I will honor that with a death to remember."

_No._ Jellal focused, shoving aside the fear and guilt. _Fairy Tail needs me. We'll figure something out, but first, we have to survive._ He glared at Hades. "No one's dying today...Father." Erza gasped. For the first time he could remember, Jellal ignored her, sliding into Cosmic Form. Meteor Wave burned like the stars he drew power from. "Not even you."

"Oh?" Hades reached up and removed his eye patch. "Devil's...Eye!" he chanted. The eyelid crept open, shedding a crimson light on the Fairy Tail wizards. "Now, my son, I give you your final lesson in wizardry. The depths of magic!"

Darkness that made Simon's magic seem like light swirled around Hades, the crimson glow of his inhuman eye all the more _wrong_ for how it burned in the void. "This is a realm beyond even your imagination, Fairy Tail."

"Impossible," Gray gasped. Wendy wept, clinging to the ice wizard.

"Jellal...do you recognize...this magic?" Erza whispered. Jellal was about to shake his head – then froze, eyes widening. _Wait, this...this_ does _feel familiar...malice given form and power, every cruel impulse humanity has ever dreamed made manifest._ Jellal swallowed. _Yes, I have felt this. Once before._ A boy bound to a pole looked up at a demon of violation, poised to force itself into him. _Once before..._

"This is the end," Hades pronounced, arms folded again. "The farther you travel along the way of magic, the deeper you fall into the darkness. Do you remember, Jellal, what you find in the farthest reaches of the void? The cosmic might of eternity! The One Magic!" He held up his hand, and power that made Jellal nauseous poured out around it. "We're so close to it. So close...and yet, as they say, so far. For only the Grand Magic World can pry the One Magic from the depths. One must be willing to make any sacrifice..." For just an instant, Hades' expression softened as he looked upon Jellal, his blue light the only shelter from the depths taking form around the dark guild master. "...to awaken Zeref, and the One Magic!"

"It was you, wasn't it?" Jellal whispered. Hades' monstrous spell halted, the void itself recoiling from the Starburst's words. "You sent them. To murder my mother. To drag me into Hell. To chain me in its Grim depths."

"You were its cornerstone," Hades admitted. Erza let out a choked snarl, her whole body trembling as her eyes narrowed in abject fury. "I thought Pippoco Law would be a facade, a simple deceit to seduce a princess of Alvarez. The legacy of the God Slayer kings would grant the Balam Alliance a child that would make a perfect sacrifice. I never thought I would love you."

"LIAR!" Erza screamed, somehow finding the strength to stand. She pointed her blade at Hades. "Do not speak a word like 'love' when you built that horror around your OWN SON!"

"Tearing out my own heart was the final step," Hades explained. "Only then could I begin the final journey into the void. It proved my indomitable conviction – the conviction you lack!" He spread his arms, sweeping them in a twisted circle. "Behold, the depths given form! From the Books of Zeref, Volume Four, Verse 20: Arcane Magic, _Nemesis!"_

Shadows. Shadows filled with runes the color of old blood. They gained substance from the flotsam, the rubble, from the very dust around them. _Nemesis. Divine enemy. Of course that's its name._ They took the form of demons, every one unique, their numbers growing with each passing second. "Ice Devil Zero – hnng," Gray gasped, falling to his knees. "Ice Devil...Ice...dammit..."

"Bah. Your crude Devil Slayer Art is no match for the depths of magic," Hades mocked, one hand pointed skyward, the other toward the earth. "I have become a judge of Heaven, able to make demons obey my every command." Jellal swallowed. _What do I do? I'm out of tricks, even Natsu couldn't punch his way out of this...everything,_ everyone _I love is depending on me, and I don't – I don't know what to do..._

"Natsu," Lucy gasped behind him.

"What? My friends are right here." Jellal turned, staring with wide eyes at a smiling Natsu. "Do you remember, Erza, Jellal? 'Fear is not evil. It tells you what your weakness is.' When you know your weakness..."

Jellal finished it with him. "...you can become stronger, and kinder." He turned back to face his father, and his fear. "Thank you, Natsu." The Devil Slayer took in one last breath, let Meteor Wave go, then exhaled all his power, sending his magic to flow through his friends and his love. _For the reminder, and the trick. I wonder if Zancrow will ever know that he saved Fairy Tail?_

The God Slayer breathed in. _Magic begins as a sense. Sense divine power. A judge of Heaven. Wizards of Earthland. The stars above. My birthright within._ Nemesis swirled and roared. Jellal consumed its power. The demons howled and stamped. He breathed them in as well. The corruption settled back into his bones, an old enemy as familiar as a friend. _If freedom means failing the people I love,_ he decided, _then I don't want it!_ Hades gasped. "Are you mad, Jellal? Or have you realized the truth?" The spell grew around the Second Master, more devils appearing even as Jellal devoured their forms. "You are the void. You are my son, after all."

Power filled the Starburst. It was foul and vile and nauseating, but it was strength when his family needed him most, so Jellal kept devouring it until he felt like could hold no more – then kept going. "Have you forgotten what you taught me, Father?" he whispered. "Only in the void can the stars shine most bright." The overwhelming force sickened him, driving the star mage to his knees. _I can do this. Just a little longer...Mavis, help me –_

"Please!" Lucy cried, pulling out a golden key and holding it high. She stood on shaking legs, her entire body quivering, her magic scraps and remnants, yet Lucy forced her body and spirit to obey through sheer determination. "Open! _Please!_ Gate of the Lion! LEO!"

Loke – no, Leo, in all his cosmic glory – appeared by Jellal's side. "Seireio, Jellal, what did you _do?"_ As Hades gasped, the Zodiac King pressed his hand to Jellal's back. "O Regulus, grant him your strength!" Leo chanted.

Golden light roared through the cosmic wizard. The poison burned away, leaving only raw power. The mark on Jellal's face pulsed with hungry might. _What is this?_ For all the might Jellal had wielded since that awful day in the Tower, this was a glory unlike any he'd ever known. _What am I?_ The world slowed to a halt, and Jellal truly remembered his mother for the first time since the Tower. She was singing about her family, _their_ family, the champions of Heaven, princes of the world, bearing the seeds of the gods within them...

_"Mommy?" Jellal asked, resting in the lap of a beautiful woman with blue hair and the mark he'd inherited around her eye. They were rocking, watching the clouds go by overhead. "What's a seed of the gods? Are gods plants?"_

_His mother laughed. "No, sweetie. They planted magic_ like _seeds in us, so we could heal and protect people."_

_Jellal pouted, thinking about that for a moment. "Why us? Shouldn't everyone be able to protect...um, themselves, I guess?"_

_Mom stroked his hair. "Not everyone wants to be a wizard, Jellal. Some people like to bake, or build, or make money, or tell stories. We have a gift that lets others live to learn what their gifts are." She hugged him. "You don't have to worry about that yet, though. Not for years and years."_

_"Mmm." Jellal nodded and held onto Mom's arms as she kept rocking. "I wanna, though. I wanna protect people." He lit up and squirmed to look at Mom, one hand reaching out to touch the tip of her mark. "I'm gonna be the best seed wizard ever!" Mom laughed, and the world was right._

_"Miz Fernandes?" One of their neighbors jogged over._

_"Oh, for heaven's sake, call me Vistara," Mom replied._

"Vistara..." Hades froze, staring, as Jellal rose to his feet. "...thank you, Mom." He glared at Fairy Tail's Second Master and Grimoire Heart's First, fear burning away in divine light. "Remember, 'Master Hades,' for the rest of your days, that you were beaten, not by me, but a _girl of glass."_ A new spell – an _ancient_ spell – echoed from both the dawn of civilization and the end of time to the last Fernandes. "Heaven Drive," he whispered.

**Music Cue: Dragon Force**

_"Jellal!"_ Natsu howled, throwing his last spark of lightning to the Cosmic Mage. Wendy cast out a whirlwind with both hands. Gray formed Cold Excalibur and Erza tossed him her Crimson Blossom. The Starburst absorbed the spells, caught both swords, and charged at Hades, screaming in fury.

"Bah!" Hades slammed at the air with a palm, and Cold Excalibur shattered. _Predictable,_ Jellal thought, directing the ice shards below decks with a thought, while throwing the frozen hilt in Hades' face. "Some Devil Slayer!" Jellal ignored him and attacked with the Demon Blade.

Though not Erza's equal, Jellal had trained with her far too long to lack skill with a blade, and Heaven's light shone through it. He kicked and slashed with speed reborn from the ashes. Power erupted from his back, and even the master of Grimoire Heart stared at whatever Jellal had become as he tore at Hades' power. _My body...my soul...they're one._ More Nemesis magic roared at him, but Jellal's birthright pulsed with every heartbeat, and Erza's sword sang in his hands. The Demon Blade easily carved through the force that was its archenemy, tearing through each tendril and talon as though they were tissue paper. "For Uncle Rob! Shou! _Alphonse!"_ Jellal cried, blow after blow annihilating the devils before they could even take form.

With a snarl, Hades lunged at Jellal, his palm striking the young wizard's shoulder even as he took the sword through his gut. In spite of everything, Jellal gasped as Erza's blade pierced his father's body. A pulse of dark power forced Jellal back, leaving a bruise even through Heaven Drive. The power behind him spread wide, and between its light and the shadow it cast, Jellal realized they were sapphire wings. _Blue? God Slayer Magic is always black._ He shook his head. _Not the time._ He flew at Hades again, this time using the distraction of Erza's blade to kick Hades' wound. "Meteor Wave!" he roared, the aura exploding to life and imbuing his kick with cosmic power. The Second Master tumbled across the deck, purple energy trailing behind him.

When the Starburst landed, sword in a two-handed ready grip, he grimaced at the sight of Hades rising yet again. His eyes glowed with golden light as a new sight sprang to life. _The Devil's Heart grants him power directly. It travels between space, not across it. No cord to cut._ All at once, he smiled. "I shouldn't be the one to do this, anyway," Jellal decided, stabbing Erza's sword into the deck.

"WHAT?!" Natsu howled.

"This can't be about blood, any more than it can be a man without the mark," Jellal explained, holding his arms high. "This victory has to belong to _our_ family!" Hades' withered hands grasped at the power of the world. Jellal ignored the villain, elemental magic reaching out to do the Starburst's bidding. A massive column of water rose from the ocean, slamming to the deck near Gray and freezing as Jellal tore the heat from it. He directed the heat into the deck, turning the wood around Natsu into an inferno. The disruption of heat and cold created a whirlwind, which Jellal turned toward Wendy. All this happened while Hades blinked in disbelief, his wound still healing.

With that done, he snatched up Erza's sword in one hand, leaping over the arch of ice even as Gray began to devour it. Filling the blade with magic might and all the love he could summon, he gripped the crystal Laxus had given him with his free hand and poured the light of Regulus back into it. Handing each to their rightful owners, Jellal slid back and smiled at Hades. "Science says conservation of energy can't let me grant them more power than I have to give. Magic doesn't care." Hades screamed in fury as Jellal's wings flew from him to swirl around Lucy. "Lucy! One more costume change!"

"Again?" Lucy cried, arms waving in the air even as Natsu pounded his burning fists together.

"Trust me. You'll like this one. Star Dress: Leo Form!" he chanted, silently thanking Loke for the knowledge. Lucy gasped as the light of Regulus surrounded her. When it faded, she was in a low-cut, frilled ball gown, and wearing high heels for some reason. Jellal resisted the urge to facepalm. Barely. _Or maybe not. Zen damn it, Leo._

"Whoa..." Lucy breathed, the golden light glowing around her.

"Requip!" Erza cast out her arms, her magic rippling to summon Armadura Fairy once more. "We have been given another chance! Do not waste it!"

"AYE SIR!" Natsu and Gray shouted as one, performing their roars in perfect unison. Hades was frozen and incinerated at once, again driven to the deck.

Jellal sighed and floated down to Laxus' side, letting himself rest prone on the deck. "This is no time to try and be cool, Jellal," the Lightning Dragon Slayer grumbled.

Laxus' eyes widened at the sight of Jellal's smile. "Trust me," he said, and sent forth his Thought Projection once more. When his senses shifted to below decks, most of the foot soldiers were still digging out from shards of ice and bits of Lizard Man drone. The few remaining warriors were no match for Pantherlily, who smiled and charged at them.

Happy and Carla were at the mechanical gate, each trying to turn one of the gears. "Jellal! Thank goodness!" Carla called, waving to him with one paw. _That was nicer than usual._

"Still cute," Happy snickered.

Jellal wrapped the bases of two ice shards in Lizard Man leather, then floated them over to the pair. "Take these. Once I figure out how to open this–"

"I already did that," Carla huffed. _And she's back to normal. Which is, apparently, brilliant._ Jellal smiled as Carla pointed to seven gears. "Turn those all clockwise!" She grabbed one of the ice blades. "Happy and I will do the rest."

Jellal stared, tears nearly forming again. _That formation...it's...Grand Chariot..._ He shook his head and forced himself to concentrate, turning the gears as Carla directed. The gate opened, allowing the Exceeds to fly in blades-first. Jellal followed, ice shards orbiting his Thought Projection.

Given what Crime Sorciere had prepared them for – _well, those of us who paid attention, anyway_ – it was clear that the Devil's Heart systems had extra protection inside as well. The tubes and heart casing were stronger, given that the Exceeds could not damage them without their improvised weapons, and metal insect-drones flew out to stop them. Between Happy's speed, Carla's ESP, and Jellal's telekinesis, this last line of defense was no match for their ice-blade charge.

The Devil's Heart erupted in a fountain of bilious slime, the two Exceeds barely dodging a shower of the foul stuff. The Grimoire soldiers froze, their shock apparent even through the all-concealing masks. _We did it!_ Pantherlily grinned at the trio over one shoulder, while Happy and Carla high-fived each other. Jellal smiled back at the huge cat-man defending them. "Call me if these goons get too frisky," he said, then released his Thought Projection. _If I know Erza, I want to see the final assault._

His love and her team didn't disappoint. "The devil will never sleep!" Hades roared, throwing Natsu back, but the others were already charging. Even Laxus had gotten back on his feet, throwing the first punch right into Hades' face. Lucy hit the villain with Regulus, and when the light faded, Capricorn had appeared in front of Hades, pounding him with fists and feet. Wendy leaped up behind the dark mage, hammering him into the sky with a Dragon Slayer Wing Slash. Gray followed up with his Zero Destruction Sword, and when that knocked Hades back towards the deck, Erza blasted him mid-fall with a perfectly-aimed Fairy Burst.

Jellal gaped when Hades stood, legs shaking and eyes swollen half-shut, to form a Law spell between his trembling hands. _He wasn't lying about his conviction,_ the Starburst admitted, even as Natsu leaped up to finish the battle with fire and lightning.

The world turned white-gold from the sheer power Natsu unleashed. Even Jellal, whose very magic came from starlight, was blinded for a moment by the spell's glory. When he could see again, Hades had fallen, and the sun was rising. At long last, Grimoire Heart's master had fallen. In spite of all the grief, present and past, Jellal smiled. _Thank you,_ he thought, hoping Crime Sorciere could hear. _Thank you for letting me be a Fairy Tail wizard._


	101. Vol. 18, Ch. 5

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Gray

Gray chuckled as Lucy handed Natsu his scarf back. _You Flame-Brain,_ he thought, smiling, _you'd lose your magic if you could._

"Help!" Happy wailed. "Save me, Natsu!" Gray turned, smile vanishing, to find the Exceeds fleeing towards them, Grimoire's goon squad in hot pursuit.

"It's those guys," Natsu growled, putting his scarf back on. _This is bad,_ Gray thought, looking from Erza, back in her most basic armor, to Wendy, who gulped at the sight of the oncoming horde. _Even after all the help we've gotten, we're really low on magic power. Laxus wasn't kidding, calling Hades a monster._ Checking the pit in the center of the deck, Gray saw Laxus and Jellal leaning on one another, staggering towards the group. _And those two are completely tapped out. Not that it's stopping them from trying to help._  He shook his head and planted fist in palm. Little more than a cool breeze emerged. _I can't believe this. Are we going to beat the most powerful Dark Master in Ishgar, only to go down to a bunch of foot soldiers?_

A tiny foot stamped on the deck behind them. "That's far enough!" Makarov roared, every other member of the guild on the island except Ultear, Meredy, and Juvia beside him. The entire Grimoire force came skidding to a halt.

"Gramps!" Natsu grinned.

"Everyone!" Lucy cheered. Erza smiled, eyes flickering to the great Tenrou Tree. Gray could feel its magic filling them even then. Jellal grinned at the reinforcements, clapping Laxus on the shoulder. _Most of them are in pretty good shape, all things considered,_ Gray realized, turning a smirk on the quivering Grimoire troops. _Those small fry don't stand a chance against any one of them. All at once? As Erza would say, "this contest is over."_

The group of dark soldiers chattered at each other about their dire state of affairs: Makarov was looking them over in disapproval, Hades was down and twitching like a crushed bug, and Fairy Tail's forces were back up, spoiling for payback. "Leave our island this instant!" Makarov ordered. Grimoire's remaining forces were all too happy to obey, fleeing to the depths of the airship as quickly as they could run.

Fairy Tail began to celebrate on the spot, hugging and cheering. Gray even let himself indulge in a fist-bump with Natsu. _Eh. He earned it. Not that I'm telling him that._ Erza snatched Jellal out from under Laxus' arm, literally, and slammed his face against her breastplate in what Gray guessed was meant to be a hug. A large bald lump appeared on Jellal's head, eyes swirling as he dangled on the edge of consciousness. Laxus managed to fall into a sitting position, feet pressed together, instead of landing on his face as mere mortals would have. Even Bickslow and Evergreen had gotten into the spirit, dancing with Natsu in an absurd style that Gray could only define as "Fairy Tail freeform." _Someone's getting blackmail material out of that._

Gray's smile slipped and vanished as their absent teammates came to mind once more. "What's wrong, Gray?" Freed asked, sensible as ever. _He hasn't noticed Laxus yet,_ the ice mage guessed.

"I'm just worried about Ultear and Meredy," Gray explained, glancing out towards the ocean. "...and...maybe, Juvia too..."

"Ultear is meditating, absorbing energy from the wards Crime Sorciere provided," Freed explained, waving at one of the beams reaching into the sky, "in case they were right about that dragon attack. Meredy and Juvia are protecting her."

"Oh. Good." Gray nodded, scanning the area. He spotted Master Makarov berating Laxus after offering backhanded praise, at which point the Thunder Tribe _finally_ noticed their leader's presence and reacted in ways that would make Juvia proud, tears streaming in relief as they glomped him in a joyous rush. _Huh. They knew he was here?_ There was an empty crystal gurney with a few scraps of black fabric dangling from sharp edges. Natsu turned to challenge Ultear for her S-Class rank, only to throw a fit at her absence – then faint like the flame-brain that he was. (Erza and Jellal put their heads together and guessed it had something to do with eating an element other than fire.) Wendy suggested they head back to camp, and everyone agreed. The Thunder Tribe put Laxus' arms over Freed and Bickslow's shoulders, while Lucy and Lisanna did the same with Natsu. Erza picked up a round-eyed Jellal in a bridal carry, her eyes gleaming in triumph. _Not going anywhere near that,_ Gray decided.

"Makarov...Jellal..." Hades groaned. The assembled Fairy Tail wizards stopped cold. "Finish me off. You have no choice."

"You'd be surprised," Jellal whispered, carefully sliding from Erza's arms to stand and glare at the vile fossil. "The Magic Council can have you. Enjoy Black Vox, _father."_

Makarov sighed, weariness echoing from the dawn of time. "What you taught me was beyond price. In gratitude, I will permit you to leave." Jellal tensed, Erza at his side with her basic sword to hand. Gray quietly planted his fist in his palm. "Never come near Fairy Tail or this island again. I will leave no trace of your guild if you do."

"Foolishness," Hades grunted. "If you let me live, next time I will crush your guild and your children."

"You defeated me, true," Makarov admitted, "but my children overcame you and your entire army."

Hades scoffed. "Only Jellal's genius saved you from my Devil's Heart. In that other world, it was pure luck. My only mistakes were challenging you on Tenrou Island, rather than destroying you away from its protection, and trying to win over my son." He shook his head. "Crushing you will be simplicity itself should we face each other again."

"Fairy Tail is more than any one wizard," Jellal retorted, trembling in place. "You mocked Gray's magic as weak, but mere shards of his power were the key to victory." Hades ground his teeth. The Starburst almost smiled. "With or without me, they would have triumphed, thanks to their courage and your arrogance. They did before, in Crime Sorciere's world, and _we_ will again, whenever you come for us."

"I killed her myself, you know," Hades breathed. Jellal's eyes went wide, brimming with tears. "I still remember Vistara's soft gasp when I shot her through the heart." The dark mage gazed into the sky. "My beard was thicker then, once I let go of my Transformation. Perhaps you remember. The stranger with the eye patch, dragging you to the cultists by a magic chain? You fought with such ferocity, I suppressed the ether around you, lest you awaken to magic on the spot." Jellal was shaking so hard, Gray could see him struggle to stay upright, until Erza put her free arm around his waist. "You made a fine cornerstone." Frost covered Gray's fists.

"You want to die so badly? Do it yourself, _coward."_ Jellal turned away, holding onto Erza as though he were drowning. Gray took a step towards Hades, and nearly slipped on the ice he'd inadvertently created.

Makarov bowed his head. "Why did you fall to malice, Master?" he asked.

"I already explained this, boy – the truth of magic _is_ malice." Hades opened his Devil's eye and glared at Makarov. "Miracles are born in the cruel darkness out of hunger and need, and men call them 'magic.' After I retired, I searched far and wide for that truth, and I found it beneath the lie that is our world of daylight wizardry. The mundane fools who pretend not to fear us...those cowards on the Magic Council, calling themselves 'law' and 'justice' and lying with every breath...the weaklings who bestride the backs of the mighty, carried by their power...even most of those you call 'dark' are petty villains, incapable of greatness. Only in the Grand Magic World can we find those true miracles again." He closed his eyes and reached up with one hand, grasping at emptiness. "Zeref...the keys...prodigies of hunger and need and cruelty...I sought them all, _found_ them all...I was so close. So close to the One Magic!"

"It would have changed nothing," Makarov said. Hades' good eye opened wide, staring in shock. "So what if magic came from darkness? Neither would it matter if it was born from light. Magic is _alive."_ Makarov held out his hand, staring at the power glowing gently within. "It changes and grows, becoming whatever arts we need or wish for. Everyone can discover magic through their own imaginations, and create their own versions as they see it for themselves. They can see it as darkness or light..." he smiled at Erza and Jellal. "...or even red or blue. Magic is freedom, and Fairy Tail's life is the life of that freedom!" The tiny master began to walk away. "You taught me all of that. _Master Precht."_ Hades closed his one eye.

Gray's hands twitched, hungering for blades. _One Ice Bringer. That's all it would take. Erza...Jellal...Master Makarov...they would never have to_... He looked over his shoulder. The others were already headed back to camp. "Well, Devil Slayer?" Hades whispered.

"You get to live. For Gramps," Gray snarled. "I don't know if he could really kill you if you came after us again. After what you said, what you've done? To Jellal and our Master?" He glared at the monster in human flesh. "I'm what makes devils sleep forever. Never forget that." The Ice Devil Slayer turned and strode off, glaring at Daphne as she limped towards the airship supported by a rooster-man. _I hope this isn't a mistake._  He blinked as a tiny chick on the rooster's head held up a little "X" sign. _It certainly couldn't get any weirder._

-FT- -FT- -FT-

Gray nearly broke a rib laughing at Lisanna's "Twin-tail Natsu," dropping the supplies he'd been gathering as he doubled over. The Exceeds were conferring over breakfast, Gajeel spasming as he tried to approach. The Thunder Tribe gushed over Laxus, to the surprise of precisely no one. Erza, wearing a nurse outfit so appealing that even Gray almost saw her as more than sister for a moment, was wrapping an eternally-patient Jellal in so many bandages that all he needed to look like Mystogan was a tattered black cape. Capricorn was speaking with Lucy and Cana – and if Lucy's sudden horror was any indication, it wasn't a conversation she enjoyed.

Wendy, who seemed to have an endless supply of magic, was healing everyone who came to her. Her smile rivaled the sun's brightness. _She really loves helping,_ Gray mused. _I hope I don't have to face her next year. The Plum Technique feels...underhanded, now._ He glanced at Ultear, who was still sitting in the center of camp, concentrating. _If Wendy's full of energy, what's wrong with nee-san?_ He let his eyes slide toward Juvia, careful not to let on that he was watching. The water mage darted around his adopted sister, eyes shining and alert with every pass. Meredy giggled at the sight of Juvia's absurd, if earnest, vigilance. _If I go over there, though..._

Gildarts mocked Laxus for his expulsion. Laxus snarled back. Ur giggled, and ten years seemed to melt away, the Devil Slayer seeing his mother as he did when they first met. Gray sighed. _You owe me, nee-san._ Sticking his hands in his pockets – pants still on, mercifully – the ice mage strolled over to Ultear's bodyguards as casually as he could. "So. Erm." He cleared his throat. "Is everything okay over here?"

Juvia whirled to stare at him, eyes wide and quivering. Then she shook her head fast enough for water to splash from her hair, smoothed out her dress, and stood up straight. "Yes, Gray-sama. Lady Ultear is attempting to fill herself with magic as completely as Crime Sorciere's gift will allow." Her smile was so normal, it was almost disturbing. _Forget the almost. On Juvia, that_ is _disturbing,_ Gray decided. "Your sister is fine, Gray-sama."

"Yeah," Meredy added, "even if this Acnologia thing shows up, Ultear-sensei will get us out of here before it can say 'oops.' So chill, ice boy." The pink-haired girl winked at him.

"Don't call me that!" Gray barked.

One of Ultear's eyes peeked open a fraction. "sh," she ordered. All three mages clamped their hands over their mouths. _She's fine. Maybe I should be...somewhere else._ He tiptoed away, Juvia resuming her odd, darting patrol around Ultear, while Meredy watched with a smile. Erza strode over to "help" Wendy while Jellal staggered over to Laxus and Gildarts, walking like the mummy he appeared to be.

"Is it just me," Pantherlily asked, "or has the battle with Grimoire Heart already faded into the distance?" Gray couldn't help it. He laughed again.


	102. Vol. 18, Ch. 6

Earthland-2, Tenrou Island, X784: Erza

Erza approached Wendy and Carla while the diminutive healer watched Laxus from behind a tree. Laxus was poking Pantherlily's belly as though he were a stuffed toy. "Weren't you big earlier?" Laxus asked. "Now you look like Happy and Carla."

"I am an Exceed, as they are," Pantherlily explained, his tone as stoic as ever. "Why does this surprise you?"

"They never showed off magic like that," Laxus replied, then grinned and patted Lily on the head. "I guess you're a grown-up Exceed, huh?"

"OI!" Gajeel roared, dashing over to the duo. "Watch it with my cat, Sparky!" Then he spasmed again, barely keeping himself upright. Laxus chuckled. Erza smiled. _It is good to see Fairy Tail back to normal,_ she thought, nodding to herself.

"You are in no condition for this sort of confrontation, Gajeel," Pantherlily noted. "Also, I would have told Laxus if his behavior was objectionable."

"Relax, Rivets," Laxus added, crossing his arms. "I ain't after your partner. Besides, it looks more like you're his human than the other way around." Erza's smile broadened.

"It works both ways, moron!" Gajeel roared. Freed glared daggers at the Iron Dragon Slayer, while the other members of the Thunder Tribe joined in Laxus' laughter.

"Better watch yourself, Gajeel," Evergreen drawled, hiding a smile behind her fan. "Levy might get jealous. That little girl has long claws of her own."

"Pantherlily's my teammate, not – anything else! Besides, Levy's too smart for – for – ow." Gajeel finally teetered over and collapsed. Freed joined in the others' laughter.

"Just go talk to him," Carla said at last, sighing.

"I know, but I'm a bit scared," Wendy admitted. "I haven't spoken to Laxus since I was a little girl." Carla huffed and crossed her arms.

_Wendy's smiling, so she can't be that afraid,_ Erza decided, walking up. "It will be fine," Erza said, and Wendy looked up, her smile growing. "For the most part, he is once more the kind young man you remember from those days. He's just awkward after the last Festival."

"I missed the bad stuff," Wendy muttered, looking to her toes. "All I remember is healing a lot of _nakama,_ then watching the fireworks with Gajeel afterwards. He's nicer than he lets on."

"Mm, mm," Erza nodded, glancing from one Dragon Slayer to the other. "We all get a little lost sometimes, a matter Gajeel understands better than most. Laxus has a good heart. He came when we needed him most, after all."

"Right! I'm going to go say hi!" Wendy nodded and rushed over, Carla sighing again and following. Erza watched them go, warmth glowing within her. That done, she turned and headed back to the camp. _I should check in on Ultear. We're supposed to have more time, but it would be best not to make assumptions._

The forest was calm once more, but full of life. The creatures on Tenrou had gone back to their scampering and hunting. Erza arrived at camp to find Natsu shaking his fist at a still-meditating Ultear, while Meredy glared and pointed an impressive number of Psyche Blades at the Dragon Slayer. "You're not getting past the Ultear Defense Squad!" the psychic mage barked. Gildarts was chuckling at them, while Cana had spread a circle of cards around her sister. Juvia, having become redundant, was standing behind Meredy, watching Gray while she wrung her hands. Gray, meanwhile, was standing watch over a resting Ur, while Levy repaired the older mage's metal foot. _Levy? Where's Jellal? For that matter, where's the Master? We should all be together._

A short walk answered her question. "Fairy Tail or no Fairy Tail, no one _literally_ beats sense into people," Jellal insisted. _Ah. Laxus,_ Erza realized. "I'm more convinced than ever that his issues were driven at least in part by chemical imbalances caused by his lacrima implant. Please, Master, just look at these Archive screens–"

"After we return," Master Makarov insisted. Erza walked into the clearing, Jellal in his sleeveless blue shirt and a pair of shorts, the guild master back in his tropical print garb. Both still showed more bandage than flesh. "He can come through the gateway, of course, but after that, his status will depend on his behavior in the present."

"Sir, he saved our lives," Jellal pleaded, taking a step towards the Master. Makarov was sitting on a large rock, his back to her Starburst. "I don't know what other behavior you're looking for."

"An apology would be a good place to start." Makarov sighed. "I heard about his battle with Master Precht, and your exceptional teamwork. It was all commendable. He still came to the guild's sacred grounds during his exile. The nerve..."

"I can't imagine where he gets it from, Master," Erza quipped. Makarov yelped and whirled around, eyes goggling at her smile and sass. "With respect, my love, in the short term Master Makarov is correct. We can discuss this back at the guild." Jellal deflated, making a wiping gesture at the air. His Archive screens disappeared as if erased from a chalkboard.

"It's not fair," Jellal whispered. "You forgave the Thunder Tribe."

"They did not instigate those events," Makarov replied.

Jellal's eyes narrowed just a fraction. "So 'just following orders' is an acceptable excuse in Fairy Tail?" Erza gasped. Her beloved's voice remained hushed, but it had sharpened to a sword's edge. "Do we abandon family to solitude now, when 'none can bear it?'" _Jellal! That was cruel!_

Makarov quivered as though struck. "Your suffering in the last day has been monstrous beyond forgiveness, so, I will excuse your insubordination." Jellal, too, winced, closing his eyes and turning away. "We will discuss this _back in Magnolia."_

"Leave the old man be, Jellal," Laxus said. Erza and Jellal turned to find their old friend leaning against a tree, as though completely unconcerned about the discussion. "Letting the Tribe stay in Fairy Tail was as much mercy as he could show." The lightning mage looked away and faked a smile. "Don't worry about me. I was just in the area and stopped by because I felt like it."

"You're so full of it, Laxus," Jellal choked out, trembling. "I don't believe for a moment that you were 'just in the area' during the trials. This is a long trip even for you. And that crystal, filled with energy to restore my ethernano? You knew we were in over our heads and came to fight for the guild. _Your_ guild."

"It's gotta be this way, Blue." Laxus shrugged. "That's how the old man's protected Fairy Tail all these years. Blood can't matter. You tore out your heart, proving that and saving us all."

Jellal flinched. "This isn't about me, damn it..." Erza reached out and took his hand. He held on as though for his life.

"No. It's not." Laxus nodded to Erza. "Take care of them, Titania. Starburst and Gramps are two of a kind. They don't know when to quit, even by this guild's...standards..." He looked up. "Did any of you feel that?"

Jellal's eyes went wide. "Oh, no...it's too soon!" the Starburst gasped. Erza turned to the Master. Makarov stood up, hands becoming fists.

"Too soon for what, Blue?" Laxus grumbled, mirroring his grandfather's stance. "What the Grim _is_ that?"

"Acnologia," Makarov whispered. "Jellal! Erza! Back to camp, now! Get them ready for evacuation immediately!"

"Ultear's not rea– yes sir," Jellal amended, stepping into Meteor Form. "Third Gear!"

"Requip!" Erza donned her Flight Armor, and the pair shot to the camp.

Gildarts was on his feet, eyes wide with fear. Erza froze in mid-air, staring. _Gildarts is afraid? Mavis help us,_ Gildarts _is afraid..._ The others were acting "normal," with Evergreen beating Elfman firmly about his impenetrable skull with her fan, while Mira and Lisanna handed out drinks and Gray recoiled in horror from something a grinning Ur had said.

Then it roared.

It was somehow deep and screeching at once, like the end of days tearing its way through time to hunt. Most of the guild froze. Pantherlily briefly covered his ears and cowered, then looked up. _Oh, he thought it was thunder._ Gildarts leaped to Ultear's side, pulling an unprepared Cana into the shelter of his artificial arm. The guild's ace winced, pressing his good hand onto his shoulder. "It's him," Gildarts snarled. As she and Jellal skidded to a halt, Erza glanced at her Starburst. His own artificial hand showed no signs of pain.

"He's there! In the clouds!" Pantherlily warned. Ultear's eyes snapped open, glowing white, and she leaped to her feet. As one, the wizards looked up. Terror shot through Erza, terror she hadn't known since the Tower of Heaven. _Not even when I learned the Oracion Seis had Jellal..._

First, its claw appeared from the haze, large enough to crush a wagon in one hand. Then its head descended, glaring at the island with a shark's hunger, but with a mouth large enough to swallow several sharks whole. It soared overhead, even a casual glide creating a windstorm around them. "The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse...this is Acnologia," Makarov gasped, walking into the clearing, Laxus at his heels.

"RUN!" Ultear ordered, pointing toward the shore. "I need one of Crime Sorciere's lacrima! The closest one's that way!"

"You heard her!" Erza barked, Requipping her basic sword to hand and pointing in the same direction. _Best to keep them focused,_ she decided. "Move!" Most of the guild didn't need to be told twice, following Ultear towards the shore.

"You!" Natsu glared up at the dragon, oblivious to the danger and the retreat. "Do you know Igneel? Or Metallicana, or Grandine?" Where are–" Erza groaned, grabbing Natsu by the back of his vest as she flew rearguard with Jellal. "Oi!"

"This isn't the time, Natsu! Gildarts is afraid of Acnologia," she pointed out. "Gildarts! We have no choice but to flee, as Crime Sorciere warned us!"

"But he might know where the other dragons are!" Natsu howled, fists pumping as she dragged him along.

"Enough, Natsu!" Gildarts shouted back. "Ultear is our only hope for survival now. You must not provoke it! Acnologia is a being that _cannot be fought."_

As if to punctuate Gildarts' statement, the monster landed, and the shockwave knocked over Lucy, Elfman, Levy, Bickslow, Cana, and Gray in mid-retreat. Gajeel and Juvia caught Levy and Gray, Jellal's telekinesis righting the others before anyone else could react.

Acnologia roared again, and this time, the sheer might tore the ground away in a tidal wave of earth. "Solid Seal," Jellal gasped, throwing up one of his force walls. It held – barely, cracks appearing even as the Seal took shape – and they continued their desperate flight.

"It did that with just a roar?" Cana gasped, clutching Lucy, Wendy, and the Exceeds close on her Fate Rider boat. "What is that thing?" Acnologia paused, floating over the Solid Seal as the dragon cocked its head slightly. With a casual swipe of its wing, Acnologia shattered the Seal.

"I think it's introducing itself," Gildarts speculated, glaring as the group slowed. Ultear had stopped at one of the beams of light, plunging her arms into the energy.

"A cat, playing with mice," Jellal breathed. "Ultear, now would be a good time."

"Arc of Space: Evacuation," Ultear chanted, trembling. The beam shifted, warped, and returned to normal. "No. NO! Arc of Space: Evacuation!" Again, the field of light bent, but snapped back after a few seconds. "That thing's doing something to the raw ether! I need more time!"

Acnologia landed, glaring at the gathered wizards. Erza turned. "Requip!" she chanted, swapping in her Adamantine Armor. "Jellal, help Ultear! I will slow it down."

"I will help her," Ur said, striding to her daughter and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Though I've never mastered her magic, I studied it for years in case she suffered a relapse. Ice-Make: Arc Seal!" An elaborate mandala of frost appeared around the beam. "Jellal, join with Erza. None of you can do this alone."

Jellal nodded, five pieces of chalk swirling around him. "I'm with you, Erza," he breathed, his power flowing around them and into her, hers flowing with his. Behind them, the Master grew, his shadow comforting and cool in the growing heat. "You _can_ do this. I know you can."

In spite of the unstoppable doom approaching them, Erza smiled. "No. I cannot." Jellal gasped. _"We_ can." As though he had been waiting for her command, his magic joined with Erza's completely. She punched out her arms, the halves of her shield spinning on their armatures. Four pieces of Jellal's chalk whirled through the air in time with each those halves, drawing ever-growing circles around them, while the fifth drew the Fairy Tail logo overhead. "You will not pass, whether you are dragon, demon, or the Apocalypse itself!" she roared at the monster.

Together, they chanted a single spell. "Unison Raid: ADAMANTINE SEAL!"

All at once, there was no Erza. Nor was there a Jellal. Two minds became one thought, two souls were one song. Two hearts beat as _one,_ and each knew the depth of their love for the other. All doubt and fear vanished, for at last they understood.

They were Jerza, and they would not move.

"IT'S OPEN!" Ultear screamed. "RUN!"

Acnologia stopped, blinking for the first time at the sight of the silver-blue seal before him, spreading as wide and high as Tenrou itself. The Master braced himself against it, bolstering the shield. The rest of the guild fled through the gateway, Ultear trembling as magic itself shuddered in Acnologia's presence.

The dragon slashed at the Seal with a single claw. It reverberated with the sound of a shield deflecting a sword. Jerza was distantly amazed at the similarity. The Seal was not even scratched. The monster's eyes narrowed, and it swung its tail around with deliberate force. The Seal rung like a cracked bell, shuddering under the assault, but held against Acnologia's might. The monster snarled, took in a quick breath – pure magic swirling into its maw for a moment – and casually spat out a beam of power that made Daphne's devastating Ether Dragon Roar sound like a whisper.

Jerza screamed, their Adamantine Seal bending and cracking. Master Makarov grunted, pressing against it with all his might. Again, the Solid Seal held, the power of the Unison Raid and the magic flowing through Jerza's union repairing most of the damage while Acnologia watched. For a moment, the dragon stared, mouth falling open a fraction.

And then...it chuckled. The chuckle became a laugh. The laugh became a bellowing roar, the forest below lashing in its wake as though struck by a hurricane. "What an age I have awakened to," it said, voice deep enough to rival the fall from the edge of Hell's Pit to the depths of Grim. "I could almost let you live, to become sport." It spread its wings with enough force to shatter the nearby cliff. "But you are between me and my prey." Jerza blinked. _Wait, 'between?' What is it after?_ they wondered.

Then Acnologia began to inhale in earnest. It reared its head back, a swirling vortex of unimaginable might, filling the monster with power beyond anything Jerza had ever believed possible. The Adamantine Seal itself began to fall apart, the magic of their defense falling prey to Acnologia's hunger. _Gods. Even we/I cannot..._

"Everyone's out," Laxus said, grabbing the shoulders of Jerza's male half. "Just you two now." Jerza felt the area around them with their Wave magic. _Master Makarov?_ He no longer braced the Seal, his disappearance lost in the power of the roar.

"Come on," Mirajane added, "it's time to go home." She took Jerza's female shoulders, bracing herself. Two enormous hands wrapped around all four mages, and between Makarov's grip and the power of their friends, Jerza flew back through the gateway, emerging into the guild hall where the portal to Cait Shelter had been.

Ultear clapped her hands, and the gateway swirled shut. Just before the last pinhole of light vanished, a beam thinner than thread burst through, punching a hole in the ceiling. Jerza felt the tiny beam annihilate the air itself as far into the heavens as they could sense.

Then Erza landed on her butt, Jellal fell on top of her, and they were two people again. Erza, having ended up in her armor-less civilian garb, squealed when she realized exactly where Jellal's _face_ had landed, her cheeks ablaze. Jellal leaped back with a yelp, falling flat on his back.

The guild members who hadn't been to Tenrou laughed in a rippling howl of mirth. The flicker of desire Erza had to smash them all into the tables for the insult was overwhelmed by the sheer, immense relief. _We're alive,_ she realized, looking around at their gathered nakama. Every single one of them had come home, whole and safe. "We made it. Grimoire Heart...Zeref...Acnologia..." she pulled Jellal back to her, holding onto him as though he were all that was real. "They tried to destroy us, but we survived it all," she breathed.

"YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT WE DID!" Natsu cheered.

"AYE SIR!" The others all roared in response. That turned into what was, in Erza's experience, the single sloppiest group hug of her life, everyone from Tenrou trying to hold onto everyone else at the same time. They became a clumsy, tumbling mess that sprawled across the guild hall, which only made the others laugh all the more.

After a brief moment of reconsidering the punishment smash, Erza joined in the laughter instead. _We're home. That's all that matters today._


	103. Vol. 19, Ch. 1

**Volume Nineteen: December 17th**

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Guild Hall, X784: Lucy

Makarov glanced at Archive screen after Archive screen, half-scowling and half-pouting at the mix of medical information and layman's summations that went past. A few had a note of agreement from Porlyusica, each with a postscript complaining about annoying humans refusing to leave her to her work. Lucy couldn't help a giggle. Jellal maintained the spell, jaw tight as he struggled to avoid further commentary. Laxus' expression was nearly identical to his grandfather's as he sat cross-legged on the table and waited.

Deciding to leave the trio of godlike wizards to their discussion, Lucy turned her attention to where Gray was eating ice cubes and watching his sister. Ultear was making an elaborate show of looking over the S-Class mission board, Natsu fuming at her as she pointedly ignored his third challenge of the day. Cana chuckled at the sight, while Mira patted Salamander on the head as she wove her way through the crowded hall serving drinks. Lisanna and Kinana were assisting, and to Lucy's admittedly untrained eye they seemed to be doing a fine job of it.

Threading through jubilant guildmates, Lucy soon found Erza talking with Gildarts, the older mage grinning with his artificial arm around Titania's shoulders, presumably doling out advice. Erza's smile was shy, her eyes firmly locked onto the harried Starburst. _Why would Erza need advice about Jellal? He adores her._

Firmly stomping the jealousy viper back to the pit from whence it came, Lucy found the survivors of Cult Buster talking quietly at a corner table, occasionally looking up at Jellal, Erza, or Ultear. Every time he glanced at Ultear, Simon bit his lip. _Huh. Maybe they're getting the band back together? I feel awful about Shou, but it's been months. He'd want them to live on._

"All right! All right!" Makarov yelped, waving his arms in surrender. "You win, Jellal!"

"What in Zen's name was that?" Ur asked, smiling.

Gildarts laughed. "The world's shortest Drunken Giraffe." He dodged a train-sized fist to more laughter from the guild.

Retracting his arm, Master Makarov cleared his throat, stood on the table across from Laxus, and smoothed his jacket. "So. Laxus. Do you wish to rejoin Fairy Tail?"

Laxus huffed and looked away. "Mm." Jellal nudged his shoulder. "Uh, yeah." Jellal facepalmed. Several more wizards laughed, even Erza and Mirajane chuckling at the pouting blond demigod.

"Very well." With a whirling flourish, Makarov pointed a quivering finger at his grandson. "Laxus Dreyar, before you can rejoin this sacred guild that you attacked with your own spells and hands, you must..." the room hushed, every eye turned toward the pair. _Master,_  Lucy thought, but even in her mind she couldn't put together a plea on the lightning wizard's behalf.

Makarov grinned. "...apologize!"

Jaws dropped around the room. Eyes went round and blank. Jet and Droy facefaulted hard enough to crack the wood floor. Natsu and Gray, predictably, laughed. After Lucy recovered, she scowled at the tiny old man. _Oooh. I should have known._

Her fit of pique vanished in the heat of Laxus' glare. "That's it. Say I'm sorry."

"With your pride," Makarov retorted, still grinning as he folded his arms, "that's like asking Erza to give away strawberry cake." Erza gasped, trembling and turning pale. Makarov's smile vanished. "Well, almost." He cleared his throat as Titania's eyes bulged. "Maybe." His smile returned, wider than before. "Oh! And you must touch your head to the floor. Or the tabletop, if you're still sitting here."

"Say I'm sorry," Laxus snapped. Makarov's smile vanished again. "For beating on a guild member who wouldn't fight back. For sucker-blasting Levy, never mind Gajeel tanking it. For taking nearly a dozen of our sisters hostage. For making guild members fight each other to save them. For using Jellal as an excuse. For sending the Thunder Tribe to do the dirty work I was too much of a coward to do. For threatening sixty thousand people – our neighbors – with the Thunder Palace." Makarov held up one hand, then nodded with a solemnity that surprised Lucy. "I betrayed our family, turned the guild's most powerful weapon on our own city, put Ultear through a Bureau flashback, tore out Freed's heart, and I'm just supposed to _apologize?"_

"In a way," Makarov whispered. "You see, this whole matter comes down to one simple question. _Are_ you sorry, Laxus?"

Laxus gaped at his grandfather for a moment. "OF COURSE I'M SORRY!" he roared, tears glistening as he shuddered. "I hurt everyone I love! Well, except Dad, that waste of space probably threw a party when he heard, but everyone else – how is an apology supposed to make _any_ of it right?"

"You'd be surprised," Freed replied, his voice soft and gentle, "how much it means to us."

"We missed you," Mira added with a smile. "Long before you were exiled."

"Fight me, Laxus!" Natsu cheered, fist punching the air. The guild laughed, even Lucy. _I guess that's Natsu for "welcome home,"_ she mused.

Makarov cleared his throat, and the guild hall went silent. He pointed at the tabletop. Laxus swallowed and bent full over, forehead pressed against the wood. Lucy gasped as the Dragon Slayer's tears splashed against it. "I'm sorry, Grandfather," he rasped. "I'm so sorry..." With a long breath that felt to Lucy like he'd been holding for months, Master Makarov walked over and patted Laxus on the back. The guild hall shook with their cheer.

"Ahem," Makarov added, and the hall went silent again. _Huh? What now?_ Lucy wondered, as the guild master's smile returned with a mischievous bent. "That is all _you_ must do, Laxus. Now, however, you must rely on a _nakama_ for your fate." Laxus sat up again, blinking in surprise at the old man. _Yeah, what does that mean?_ Lucy wondered. "Master Bob?"

The Blue Pegasus guild master danced in, literally, blowing a kiss to Freed. The Thunder Tribe mage paled, ducking behind Laxus and quivering. Laxus himself turned a raised eyebrow on the Blue Pegasus master. "Hey, Lipstick." He almost sounded normal again, just a hint of a quaver in the Dragon Slayer's voice. "What've you got to do with the old man's crazy schemes?"

"Well..." Bob smiled, eyes looking toward the heavens. "Mak comes up with the best ideas. He's had so many over the years..." He blinked and returned his attention to the guild hall. "Oh, you mean this time? Not much, actually. I'm just here to maintain a certain balance."

"Balance?" Ultear asked, folding her arms. "What does that mean?"

"Me." Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki strode in, striking one of his typical poses. Erza froze, staring at the diminutive wizard and swallowing. The junior Trimens followed, mirroring Ichiya's pose as usual. "I am here to challenge Jellal, now that he has recovered from his many ordeals. Men." _Oh, for the love of Zen,_  Lucy growled to herself, reaching for Capricorn's key.

She stopped when Mira gently laid a hand on her wrist, and Lucy turned to see the Demon shake her head. "Erza considers it a matter of honor," Mirajane explained. "Please let her handle this."

"Erza doesn't owe that nosy pervert anything!" Lucy blurted, fingers twitching a centimeter away from a Capricorn beat-down. "She – oh!" The summoner glanced around, realizing that everyone was looking at her. Most of Fairy Tail was smiling, but the Trimens boys were staring in shock, and Ichiya had turned gray, mouth frozen open. "Well, you don't," she added to Erza, feeling more like Aries than Capricorn in that moment.

"I am grateful for your concern," Erza replied, bowing with the formality that always left Lucy flustered, "but this duel was my idea." She glanced at Master Makarov. "Except the part about Laxus. Please let them continue."

"If it makes you feel any better," Makarov added, leaping down from the table, "Laxus' fate is rather more at stake than Erza's. Should Ichiya triumph, she will have to endure a date with Blue Pegasus' ace, true."

Ichiya facefaulted harder than Jet and Droy combined. "'Endure'? Meeen..." he whimpered.

"As for Laxus, if you lose, he will not be allowed to return to Fairy Tail for another...erm. I hadn't thought of that." He lit up at the sight of the younger Trimens. "Aha! Three months."

"Crazy old man..." Laxus sighed. "Not that it matters. Come on, Jellal, punt this runt into next week so Gramps'll stop trying to be funny." Master Makarov facefaulted right into the same crater Ichiya had left. Lucy giggled.

"This is absurd," Jellal rumbled. Lucy blinked and gaped at the star mage. _I've seen him mad before,_ she thought, _but those were all dark wizards. Ichya's just a pervert – oh,_ she realized, catching his eyes flicker to Titania for just an instant. "Erza, you're not some prize to be won in a ridiculous fist fight."

Erza swallowed. "I...may have given Ichiya the impression...that I was interested in him. Forcefully." She looked down and twiddled her fingers while the rest of the guild watched in shock. "When I realized you'd asked me out and I didn't...I hadn't...well...I took a solo mission. And went to Blue Pegasus afterward. And. Um. maybehadtoomuchtodrink." Lucy swore she could hear Jellal blink. "I thought he was you!" she blurted. Ichiya looked as though he were about to faint. _Jellal doesn't look a lot better,_ Lucy thought. _How in the name of all the gods did that happen?_

Bob cleared his throat. "To be fair to Miss Scarlet, she ordered a few of our more interesting magic drinks." Erza bowed her head, hiding her expression behind a curtain of hair. "The Scarlet Poppy is especially potent. I did try to warn you, dear." Lucy sighed. _I had to ask._

Mira, somehow at Erza's side, patted the mortified Titania on the back. "Liquid courage?" she asked, her tone gentle. Erza simply nodded, face still hidden by her hair.

Natsu blinked. "I don't get it."

"Thank _every god you worship,"_  Gray moaned, looking seasick.

Ichiya swallowed. "Surely, such passionate kisses could not be the work of mere alcohol," he objected.

"Kisses?" Ultear whimpered. "Plural?" Gray and Wally were both starting to turn green, and Millianna was hiding her head beneath both arms and her tail. "Erza, what did you _do?"_

"Can we just get to the fight now please?" Laxus demanded.

"AYE SIR!" Fairy Tail roared back. The Trimens escorted their dejected leader to the training field behind the guild hall, while Bob chuckled and followed.

Lucy walked up beside the surprisingly-not-surrounded Jellal as Fairy Tail followed the Pegasus contingent. Erza trailed behind, and even with her face still shrouded Lucy could feel the embarrassment radiating from her. "Um, Jellal? Why do you think Master Makarov added Laxus to this?" Lucy asked.

"He wants Laxus to learn a lesson in depending on his _nakama,_ and is probably sure I'll win," Jellal replied, eyes narrow and face stony.

"Oh. That makes sense." Lucy almost missed Jellal's eyebrow twitch. "Don't you agree?"

"I believe I have the advantage," Jellal replied, pulling off his coat with a flicker of telekinesis, "but Kotobuki is more powerful than most give him credit for. He's the Ace of Blue Pegasus." He was quiet for a moment, but his pace never slowed. "Erza tells me you saw what his teammates are capable of when you came to rescue me from the Oracion Seis."

Lucy couldn't help a flush of pride. "Well, sure, but Ichiya spent most of that tied to a stick. He seemed kind of ridiculous, when he wasn't being an S-Class pervert."

Jellal nodded. "He is a pervert. And ridiculous. And, perhaps, the most brilliant alchemist of our age." Lucy stared as his expression somehow hardened. "I will take him seriously, Lucy, because someone must." He rolled a piece of scarlet chalk between his thumb and fingers. "My love and my friend are relying on me. I must truly be a Fairy Tail wizard today."

Lucy chuckled and shook her head. The Starburst glanced down at her in surprise. "Don't hurt him _too_ badly, Jellal." She patted him on the shoulder and jogged to catch up with her team. _Master Makarov's right. Ichiya doesn't stand a chance._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOTATION: The "Drunken Giraffe" is also a Doctor Who reference – it's a "dance" that Eleven came up with at Amy's wedding. :-)


	104. Vol. 19, Ch. 2

Earthland-2, Fairy Tail Training Ground, X784: Erza

"Requip."

Everyone gaped as Erza donned a formal black gown and veil, standing at the edge of the dueling circle. It was Fairy Tail's largest, as befit two mages of such power. Ichiya still looked crestfallen. It wasn't quite enough to elicit a smile from Titania. _I can't believe they all heard about my...indiscretion,_ she thought, looking down. The two guild masters were in the center of the circle with Blue Pegasus' Ace.

Jellal strode into the sparring circle, the sapphire wings of Heaven Drive spread behind him. He was dressed in his simple sleeveless shirt, loose pants, and Meteor boots. A single piece of chalk peeked out from one fist. Beneath her veil, Erza's teeth played at her lower lip. _Wow,_ was all she could think. "Ah, Jellal-kun," Ichiya said, perking up at this sight of his opponent. "Are you prepared?"

Jellal's eyes flickered to Erza for a moment. "You can still walk away," he whispered. "Clearly, you did not understand what happened. Now you do."

"Master Makarov asked me to aid him with his grandson's lesson," Ichiya replied. Laxus snorted and looked away. The Thunder Tribe's "Go Jellal" signs managed to evoke that elusive smile to Erza's lips. "As for my honey–"

In a burst of Meteor speed, Jellal was looming over the Parfum Mage. "Erza. Is. Not. Your. Honey. She is not your anything. She is not _yours,_ you deluded degenerate. Erza belongs to _herself._ If you truly do not understand that, then for once, it will be my pleasure to educate you." Erza's heart pounded to shame Laxus' thunder. _I am also yours, Jellal. Always._

Ichiya sighed. "We shall see, brave boy."

"Ready?" Bob called out, one hand held up. Master Makarov did the same. Both duelists nodded.

"Begin!" Makarov barked, both hands chopped down, and the two masters vanished. _Did they teleport,_ Erza wondered, _or did they just not want to be anywhere near this fight?_

"Power Parfum: MAX MEN!" Ichiya's body grew to its tallest, broadest frame, and he shot at Jellal with all his might. Glittering golden cologne rippled around the massive figure.

Except Jellal was already behind Ichiya. "You're taking me seriously. Good," Jellal whispered, golden star-seals erupting around his fists. "I will do you the same honor. Second Gear." With that, the Starburst turned into a blur of golden light, hammering at Ichiya from every direction. Even Erza could not work out most of the blows, but the last two were of such concentrated force that Jellal slowed enough to be seen – a hill-shattering kick to Ichiya's stomach, and a devastating uppercut to the wizard's infamous chin. That final blow sent Kotobuki rocketing straight up.

Jellal darted back, sliding into a defensive crouch. Seven Cosmic Magic seals appeared behind the Starburst, and he released the piece of chalk he'd been holding. It had broken neatly in half during his assault, and Jellal used the pieces to start drawing elaborate mandalas on the ground to either side of him. To Erza's surprise, the Parfum Mage landed on his feet with a shuddering blow. "Try again, Kotobuki."

Ichiya swayed, took one step, and fell flat on his face. "meeennn..."

Erza blinked. It took her a few seconds to realize that nearly everyone else had done the same. Jellal straightened, cosmic spells still ready. Makarov and Bob walked over to Ichiya. Makarov pulled Ichiya's head up by his unruly hair. Ichiya's eyes swirled in helpless defeat. When Fairy Tail's Master let go, the perfume wizard fell back to earth with a meaty smack. Bob held up a hand. "Ippon!" he announced.

The Trimens stared in shock, eyes round and blank in disbelief. Fairy Tail was evenly split between laughter and cheering. Erza chose laughter, Requipped into her usual dress, and promptly tackle-hugged Jellal. She caught the mighty Starburst completely unprepared, and they fell over to more laughing. "You let your guard down. Tsk, tsk," Erza teased.

"I wasn't expecting another duel so soon," Jellal replied with a smile. "Will you show mercy on a defeated foe?"

"After that performance," Erza replied, blushing even while her boldness overcame her embarrassment, "I intend to show you a great deal more than mercy."

"Get a room," Laxus drawled. Erza's eyes widened. _We're literally surrounded by the whole guild!_ she remembered, leaping to her feet as her boldness disintegrated.

"You're welcome," Jellal retorted, smiling. Laxus chuckled and offered the Starburst a hand. Jellal accepted it, Laxus helped him up, and the guild was whole again at last.


	105. Interlude One

**Interlude: The Dark Crystal**

Earthland-2, Grimoire Heart Airship, X784: Siegrain

Grimoire Heart's airship raced away from Tenrou Island, still trailing smoke from the damage Daphne's repair lacrima hadn't yet fixed. Siegrain Fernandes sat on the floor, one fist closed around a white ribbon, remembering.

_"I'd be honored to help rebuild the House of Fernandes," Alphonse said, the old man's smile shining like the sun. A boy who looked eleven years old, but had only been his own person for nine days, smiled back. Master Hades' plan was proceeding flawlessly. The whole world believed that Siegrain had always been one of them..._

"I can't believe we lost," Zancrow snarled, punching his palm. "Those lousy small fry!"

_"Why not?" Alphonse encouraged a young man just shy of eighteen. "Wizard Saint is just a title. You're an extraordinary mage, Sieg. If this is what you want, then I have no doubt you can pass any test the Magic Council can devise."_

Siegrain shook his head. "Everything we've done...was it all for nothing?" He glanced at Master Hades, the old man covered in more bandages than that charlatan Mystogan. The only father Sieg had ever known just looked away.

_Alphonse met Siegrain's gaze with a gentle smile. He ignored Daphne even though her claws drew blood where she gripped his arms. Erigor's scythe was heavier in Sieg's arms than the mountains he had demolished in training. "Hades wants you to believe you've gone too far into the darkness to find your way back." Siegrain lifted the blade overhead. "You're better than that, Sieg. I know you. I_ believe _in you. Even if you do this, never believe there's no way out."_

"Zeref was three meters away from the ship," Zancrow barked. "Three meters! The Grand Magic World was practically ours! Damn Crime Sorciere to Grim anyway!"

Quiet footsteps echoed towards them. Siegrain looked up, blinking. Zancrow leaped to his feet, black flames roaring around his fists. "Who's there?" Sieg called.

"Answer, or I'll burn ya to nothing!" Zancrow challenged, leaning towards the sound. Hades straightened in his seat.

"Villains like you created me." Zeref walked towards them, his face without expression. His eyes were closed. Siegrain stood in a panic. Zancrow recoiled, his flames going out. "Wicked hearts like yours called forth Acnologia. All this has brought about the end of the age." Hades gasped. Siegrain slid into a defensive stance, but his shields trembled along with his body. Zancrow stared, paralyzed. "I have not caused this. I merely serve as the new age's herald, for it can no longer be stopped." Slowly, the legendary Dark Wizard opened glaring crimson eyes, and Siegrain wished for the calm he'd seen. "Instead, I will undo this age, and every other whose sorrow you draw upon, Precht."

"Zeref..." Hades' shock gave way to a broad smile. "You've come? Do I dream, or is this real?" He whirled on Siegrain. "The keys! Have Daphne bring them, now!"

Siegrain tried to move, but his body refused to obey. All he could do was shudder. "Don't bother," Zeref replied, his gaze softening. "I am awake. I hoped that would be obvious." Hades gasped again. "How much suffering have you caused claiming your 'keys,' Precht?" Zeref sighed, looking away. "I shouldn't be one to talk, I suppose. I am disappointed that you believed the fantasies of some old sect, though." Hades' jaw dropped open, eyes wide with disbelief. "'The Keys to Resurrect Zeref.' Deceived by an old story, and your own ambition."

"Was he?" Daphne hissed, staggering in. Twelve of the keys, dark gray with gold trim, flew out to swirl around Lord Zeref. Siegrain could only stare in awe. "The Eclipse Keys were created just for you. Beloved by so many who worship magic, yet so unworthy of their passion, yes, yes."

"Passion?" Zeref whispered. A black storm erupted around the ancient wizard, and Siegrain could feel its power even through his paralysis. "Countless wars...countless deaths...if by 'unworthy' you mean that I learned the value of life, then I embrace your contempt. Alas for you, I have forgotten that value."

"You may not have been asleep, but the keys were still made to free you, Lord Zeref," Daphne retorted, and the keys spun faster around the dark wizard. She pulled the thirteenth key from a pouch. "In your fury and haste, you have forgotten something, yes."

"Acnologia has other prey," Zeref sighed. "You are not yet dragon enough to attract him while there are Dragon Slayers to kill."

Daphne bared her teeth, wings flaring from her back. "Underestimate me like all the others! Yes, yes!" She stabbed the last key out and twisted it in the air. "Fool! _Keys turn both ways."_

The world rang like a perverse bell. Zeref's eyes widened as the twelve keys orbiting him turned in time with the thirteenth. The storm of darkness shrank towards its creator, solidifying around him. "Impossible," he breathed, watching his prison form without a hint of fear. "The Contradictory Curse will not be denied."

"Perhaps not," Hades blurted, standing on shaky legs, "but it can be contained."

Daphne laughed even as the paralysis fled Siegrain's bones. "It was the S-System, not the R-System! 'S' stood for _seal,_ O mighty Zeref."

Arcs of the shadowy power turned into gray lacrima, locking into place around Zeref. "Mavis..." he whispered, and then the dark mage was frozen in place, barely visible through the dark crystal.

For several seconds, they all stared. _He's not going to break out and kill us all,_  Siegrain wondered, _is he?_ Even Hades and Daphne were motionless, watching Zeref through the lacrima. The last key slipped from Daphne's hand, and they all jumped as it clattered on the deck.

Zeref never moved. "We...we won?" Zancrow muttered. Then the God Slayer began to cackle. "We won. WE WON!" The mad fire wizard danced in place. "After all that, we still won!" Daphne fell to her knees and wept, her smile nearly as wide as Salamander's. Siegrain bowed his head, eyes closed. _It was worth it after all. I'll be born in truth, be Jellal's real brother. Those parasites will never have existed. The Grand Magic World will –_

"Enough!" Hades barked. "We have won a victory, but Zeref's arts were supposed to be the path to the One Magic. Daphne's genius saved us, but tapping the power of this lacrima will take great time and tremendous effort." Sieg nodded while their master turned back to his throne, slapping the rune on his armrest. "Phase Two is complete!" The responding cheers echoed through the vast airship. "Begin Phase Three!" Hades' eye narrowed. "Set course for Alvarez."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANNOTATION: The interlude is named for the classic Henson fantasy film of the same name.
> 
> PS: Thanks for all the kind words and support! What Once Went Wrong will go on a brief hiatus while Part Two is edited, but should begin going up soon.


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